


Work Song (Lay Me Gently In The Cold Dark Earth)

by Redheadclover



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Booker | Sebastien le Livre Gets Therapy, Booker | Sebastien le Livre Needs Therapy, Exiled Booker | Sebastien le Livre, F/M, M/M, Post Movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26655481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redheadclover/pseuds/Redheadclover
Summary: Nile asked him to do better, she wanted that for him.  Maybe she thought he was going to self-shame himself for the 100 years he was away from the others and expect to survive.  He only lasted 15 years, and the next 85 were going to be hell.  Maybe this wasn’t going to be too bad if he was going to actually do something about his exile.  Given that he ended up where he was, he could at least try and go up from here.A look into Booker's exile as he spends 100 years on his own, battling his inner demons, and trying to re-piece his life back together again
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien Le Livre & Original Female Character(s), Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Everyone, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 34
Kudos: 121





	1. Year 0-15

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to dive into the 100 years that Booker had in his Exile: the good, the bad, and the ugly. There are some dark themes of depression and mentions of suicide, but I'll also try to lace in some happiness throughout the chapters too. Booker needs some love in this story and I wanted to show that!
> 
> Enjoy :)

He could never forget their faces as they walked away and left on that riverbank. Out of his life.

Booker was used to this, but this abandonment hurt the most.Mainly because he brought it on himself.

He knew a thing or two when it came to guilt or shame.At this point in his life, it was almost embedded in him and his DNA so to speak.He felt it when his last son died to cancer, hearing his son cry out to him in anger that Booker was selfish not to share his immortality with him.He felt it when he deserted the army and was hun in retaliation.Shame was in his vocabulary and his mindset from the very beginning, there was no turning back from it for Booker.

He never thought of this Immortal life as a blessing, only a curse.It was a curse to see the world of the world evolve and change and he could only stand still and watch with remorse and pain.He felt so alone and isolated, even in the company of three other Immortals who tried to reason with him this life wasn't so bad.But they've been around longer, they've been immune to death and loss for a longer lifespan.Booker was new, Booker was fragile, yet he said nothing but kept his mouth shut and carried on.It was the right thing to do, he did it as a soldier and he'll do it again now. 

It was worse with Nicky and Joe, although they wouldn't dare to do anything horrible to Booker on purpose.But seeing them love each other, it pained Booker and made that feeling of sadness and grief even bigger and deeper within himself.So Booker drowned it out with drinking, and when he knew his body could heal itself from it in comparison to a regular human body, Booker took advantage of that tenfold.

Yes, it was destructive, but he didn't care.

* * *

6 Months into exile was when Booker met Quynh.She found her way into the apartment, a small glass of water in her hand as she was giving him a kind but intimidating stare.With his gun drawn out at her, thinking she was an intruder, Booker knew who she was when she spoke and how she looked at him like we were old friends.Booker could only picture her as the same woman who was locked in that iron maiden, drowning over and over in sick rotation like a record player that was skipping.The same face, the same look of agony and life leaving her eyes as she woke up and did it all over again. 

Now she was in his apartment, cool and calm.

"Where are they now?"

"Who knows,"

"You should,"

"I'm in exile.I have no right to know where they are,'

Quynh and Booker were speaking to each other a few minutes later after the pleasantries were done with.Quynh still drinking her water as Booker went to get out another small glass of whiskey he stored away in the kitchen.Quynh watched him like a hawk.

"How did you get out, anyway?" Booker asked in a huff as he found his last remaining bottle of whiskey, walking over to slump into his chair.Quynh was poised, her eyes drilling into him and almost having me feel a pinch afraid of what she was capable of.

"I had my ways," Quynh replied smoothly, her accent and voice cut into the room as she then took a small sip from her water and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "I've waited some time to meet you, Sebastian,"

"Call me Booker," Booker explained, Quynh slightly tilted her head at him.

"Why?" She was, merely curious and not understanding.Booker just hummed and took a drink from the bottle.

"I don't deserve to have that name, I've tainted it long enough," He admitted to her, the cold glare from Quynh was enough for him not to say anything else for a few minutes.Booker knew it was true: he shouldn't use that name anymore because of all of the things he's done. 

"So," Quynh said in a sigh as she finished her water and folded her hands on the table, "You won't tell me where they are?"

"You mean, where Andy is?" Booker asked, seeing Quynh's eyes almost flicker a bit.Booker could sense he hit some kind of nerve with Quynh, but he kept composed and gave her a serious stare.He heard stories of Quynh and Andy being together for some time before they were caught and Quynh was taken to her death.Andy told them vaguely, not all the details, but Booker knew well enough that they loved each other. 

That pain that Andy had for not being able to find and save her did plague Andy and her mindset on life.It made Booker think that maybe they were in the same boat when it came to being too tired for this Immortality.Andy would tell him time to time that they were in this shit hole together as if that was going to make this easier for Booker.It didn't, but Booker played along anyhow just to make it better for Andy.So, seeing Quynh there now in front of him was settling a lot of things for him, and to hear her ask where her lost love was, Booker couldn't do it.

He couldn't give in.

"You should quit drinking," Quynh said to him as he walked her to the door, "It's not healthy for you, at least that's what I read.They're worried about health nowadays, it's a bit amusing,"

"I've been drinking for the past 200 years or so, I can't give up the streak now," he in a half-hearted attempt of a joke.Quynh smirked, though her smirk was mostly deadly and not genuine as she stopped and paused at the doorway.Booker watched while she pushed her long black hair over her shoulder and readjusted her red jacket. 

"You know, we can stick together," Quynh suggested, sounding calm and almost a twinge hopeful as she eyed Booker, "Strength in numbers, you know?I remember Andy telling me once some time ago that we should stick together, all of us,"

Booker could only watch her, saying nothing to her as he was letting that drink in.Of course, he's heard that before, from the moment he woke up as an Immortal until now.He woke up alone, and he was now alone.it was ironic to hear it over and over from Nicky, the ex-priest the group who was appropriately the heart of the four of them, that destiny brought them together and they were meant to find one another.He said that to Nile, the newest Immortal on her first night with them.Of course,Booker being Booker, merely corrected Nicky:

"More like misery loves company,"

The others chuckled from his statement, thinking it was a joke.How could he be wrong though?His misery never left him, even after having three companions with him and fighting for the good of mankind from time to time in past wars and recon missions that they've done.No matter how many lives were saved or changed, there was still misery festering in Booker.Perhaps he was meant to be alone and wallow in his own self-destruction, and making that choice to almost get all of them killed because of his desperate attempt of dying was a sure sign he was meant for loneliness, and his exile was the punishment for it.

"I'll be fine on my own, I deserve it after what I did," Booker explained to her calmly, seeing him rill her eyes into him one more time to make sure he was telling the truth, "Besides, I'm glad I finally met you,"

"Really?" She asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Well for one, I got to meet the one person whom Andy truly loved and cared her," Booker explained gruffly, Quynh's eyes shining for the briefest of moments and a small sliver of hurt was there in her dark orbs, "And second, to be frank, I've dreamt of you drowning for the past 200 years.I can finally…breathe,"

Perhaps that was a bit too low in the belt for her to hear since she was taken back from the statement and almost offended.But she wasn't angry, Booker could tell it wasn't at him int he first place.He wasn't there when she was accused of witchcraft, nor was he there when she was thrown out into the sea in an iron coffin and left to drown for the next 500 years.But he felt it for 200 of the years, every night he felt water in his lungs and his heart stop beating. Sure, she was angry for being left behind, but Booker knew deep down he wasn't to blame.They both knew it.

She finally gave in, nodding her head.

"I'll keep in touch, just in case you need it," She advised him, which made him raise his eyebrow at her.

"How?" He asked, merely curious.

"I have my ways," she replied, walking away before he could say anything else.

* * *

Booker received a package a few days later, a small parcel of a thing on his front doorstep as he was coming home from another run to the market, though this time it was for groceries and a bad attempt of food.To be honest, it was mostly frozen meals and other carb-filled things that Booker half hazardly threw into his cart.He wasn't paying attention when he did, but when he got him and saw the small parcel propped against his door, that's when he noticed.

Carefully, he placed his bags of food down and knelt in front of the parcel, trying to see if it was going to blow up in his face or was some kind of trap.Nothing showed it, and there was no sign of someone tampering with the corners of the mail.

" _Le courrier vous l'a laissé,_ " Booker turned to see one of the neighbors, an elderly woman who lived on the second floor, pass by and speak to him.He nodded his head at her as he picked it up, shoving it under his arm as he grabbed his keys, then his bags of groceries.

" _Merci_ ," he grumbled to her as he opened the door and went inside.So it wasn't a bomb or a trap since the mailman clearly left it and went along his business.After he got his food put away, he finally got the parcel open with his pocketknife and peered inside.There were two things snugged together: a new smartphone and a handwritten letter. Curious, Booker took out the new smartphone and looked at the box it came in.An iPhone, one of the latest models and it made him all the more confused.Which resulted in him looking at the handwritten letter that was taped to the box.

_Sebastian,_

_I hope this gets to you in one piece.Think of this as a peace offering from me to you.I heard of your exile from the others and I feel as though leaving you completely out to dry for the next 100 years might not be beneficial for you in the end.So, I provided you a phone to communicate with me in case something were to happen._

_It's only linked to me, and I'll make sure you're not tracked from it by anyone. You have my word._

_The others don't know I did this, and I won't tell them unless otherwise. The only one who spoke in hopes of reaching you was Nile, and although I know it wasn't my place at first, I gave in and gave her this number that's on this phone._ _So it's only Nile and me that have this number, no one else._

_I hope to see you soon in the future and we can talk.If not, I hope all is well._

_James Copley._

Of course, Nile would want to reach out and check in on Booker.Booker wanted to smile, he wanted to have some feeling of reassurance that Nile was concerned about him, making sure he was okay and safe wherever he was.Nile even tried to shorten the sentence for him and make it less painful, bless her soul.Yet, she was still new, barely with the group for a month, let alone a few weeks, so she had no real idea of the dynamic of the group.

But this was making this whole exile situation worse for him. All he wanted to do was to be left alone, to have his wallow of self-pity. First, it was Quynh who found him on a wind to try and find Andy, and now both Nile and Copley were reaching out.This was making Booker both saddened and mad all the more since he just wanted to be left by himself.

Even when he couldn't breathe most days, he wanted to be alone.

* * *

One night later the phone rang, Booker grumbling as he reached over to grab the phone.The sounds of a police car with its sirens on going past outside and a few dogs barking rang into the apartment, yet Booker was used to these sounds in this flat and used it almost like a lullaby for him.Since he met and talked with Quynh, he was a few more hours of sleep under his belt and was not regretting it at all.It was a relief for him to finally not be afraid of going to bed, going from 2 hours of sleep to 5 now.It was progress, slow progress about progress all the same.He was sleeping almost soundly, still having a bit of a nightmare from what happened back in Merrick's lab.That nightmare was replaced from Quynh's drowning, and although he was glad

It was odd to get a call in the wee hours of the morning.Booker grabbed it, holding it in front of my blurred eyes to see an unknown number on the other end.At first, he was worried about who it would be, but then he remembered what was in the letter.

_It's only Nile and me who have this number._

Hitting the speakerphone, Booker held it out in front of himself to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Hello?" Booker asked, his voice laced with grumbling and almost slurred from his sleep. 

"Booker? Is that you?"

His eyes perked open a bit more as he heard the voice on the other end. He sat up in the bed, thinking that this was a trick of the mind. 

"Nile?" he asked, fully awake.The last time he saw her as when the others were deciding his fate in that pub in London.She tried to let him stay, bless her.But to hear from her, at this time of night, and in mere months after he was exiled, it shocked Booker.Yet, he was glad to hear her voice.

"I got this number from Copley," Nile explained, her voice ringing in the air of the bedroom, "Sorry for calling so late and waking you up.I just….I wanted to call you and see how you were doing,"

Booker froze, looking at the phone in confusion.A part of Booker wanted to be glad to hear from Nile, the hope in her voice in talking to him.She was always willing to talk to him and hear about his life, even throughout all of the bad things that he told her about his late wife and his sons.She was willing to listen, willing to hearing everything from Booker and not judge him. 

Then again, the last thing that Booker wanted to deal with was to hear from Nile when it hasn't even been a year since she saw him.He still had 99 years to go.

"Fine," He replied, making it short and almost blunt.He hated how it sounded short, but he had no real reason to be sweet about this.Sure, it was a bit painful because it was Nile and she fought to keep him, but he couldn't help it. 

"Just fine?" Nile asked, sounding a bit timid and taken back.

"Yeah, just fine," Booker replied shortly, having him hear nothing for a moment or two.

"It honestly sounds like you're—" Nile was about to say.

"What do you need, Nile?" Booker asked abruptly, hearing her go silent as Booker rubbed his eyes and sigh out heavily.He was tired, he was somewhat hungover, and he was still in pain from what was going on inches life.Nile was just trying to talk, but Booker wasn't having it. 

"I wanted to check on you," Nile explained calmly, sensing that he was on edge as Booker swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there, phone in hand and he was watching the sky out of his window, "I guess I was hoping you were doing okay and that you were keeping busy,"

"I'm still alive if that's what you were wondering," Booker grumbled to her, not knowing what else to say.

"Booker, that's not what I meant—" Nile said as she cut herself off and sighed.Booker could hear the sadness in her sigh, making him feel a bit bad as he grumbled.

"What do you want me to say, Nile?" He asked, not wanting to be mean to her but he didn't want to sugar coat it, "That everything's fine and dandy in my neck of the woods, that I'm fucking fabulous living on my own in exile for the next 99.5 years?Sorry to say it, but It's been hell, fucking hell, and I'm to blame for it,"

"I know that Booker," Nile calmly responded, keeping her voice leveled as best as she could, "But….damnit…I can't help but care about what happens to you,"

Booker felt a bit bad, knowing that Nile was coming from a good place and was at least attempting to be kind to him.Leave it to Nile to be stubborn with what was on her mind, including any choice she would make.Booker admired her strong will, seeing what was right and what was wrong and being driven by it.

"I know, Nile," Booker replied in a groan, feeling a twinge of sadness from how Nile was trying to talk to him, "But I'm not going to lie to you and say that I'm doing great,"

"And I don't expect you to," Nile reasoned, "I guess I'm a bit too optimistic about it.It's kind of stupid now that I think about it,"

"It's not stupid," Booker muttered, "Optimism is hard to come by.Trust me,"

Booker could have sworn he heard a small chuckle from Nile, having him shift on the bed.

"Where are the others anyhow?" He had to ask since he remembered how the others weren't willing to speak or talk to him when we left him 6 months ago.Booker was curious, a small sliver of him was hoping that they were okay.They would be just fine without him, but Booker couldn't help but hope in the end.

"They're asleep," Nile explained, "I waited until they were all dead sleep before I called you because I have something else to talk to you about,"

"Go for it, I'm awake anyhow," Booker rumbled, already awake and feeling as though he should indulge with Nile for the time being.He got up from the bed and stretched his back as he placed his phone on the nightstand, cocking his knuckles in the process.

"I dreamt of Quynh being in Paris."

Booker froze, inwardly ruching himself over and over.He forgot about Nile and how she dreamed of Quynh too.He was far too invested in his dreams and nightmares of the woman that Nile and her nightmares slipped his mind.When she explained that first night with the group seeing and feeling Quynh drowning, how it was so real to her and it frightened her violently, Booker stayed quiet and felt terrible for her.He was numb to the dreams at that point and seeing Nile going through it from the beginning was a wake-up call for him.

As much as he felt bad for Nile and dealing with the nightmares, he clearly didn't invest in it. 

"Booker, I know you're out in Paris," Nile kept going with her explanation as I was watching the phone with a bit of worry, "I saw Quynh walking around there in the streets in my dream and she had your information on a piece of paper,"

"It doesn't mean that she found me, so that's coincidental," Booker replied back, keeping his voice level, "Are you keeping tabs on me, Nile?"

"What if I am?" Nile countered back to me as I shook my head silently.

"You're not supposed to, as I recall with my exile," Booker explained to her, "I doubt Andy would appreciate you reaching out to me," Sure it was a bit bitter coming from Booker, to Nile of all people. But he was still a bit peeved that Nile was now apparently keeping tabs on him like he was a child.

"You gonna tattle on me?" Nile asked, sounding a bit peeved since Booker called her out.

"No," Booker answered sincerely, "I'm telling you to be careful and not get on their bad side since they're helping you with this,"

"And I think you should be here to help me with that too," Nile said in a low manner, trying to contain her and stay level.Booker cringed, sitting back down on the bed and briefly holding his head in his hands as he took a long breath.This was not how he wanted to talk to Nile, especially at this time at night and what the emotions he was feeling.He was beyond hurt from what he did to all of them, and he was more than willing to go through the next 100 years alone to pay for it. 

Maybe he was beating himself up more than he should, but what else was there to do?He didn't deserve to go back to them, to be given their forgiveness or their love.There was no more room in his life for that.Love was not going to be back in the cards for him, or a family.

Booker accepted that. 

"Nile," Booker finally said in a leveled manner, "I need to not be anywhere near you all for the next 100 years.That was the deal, and I intend to go through with it.If that means not talking to any of you, then that has to happen,"

Nile said nothing on the other end, in which Booker could only assume that he hit some kind of spot within her that was a bit too much.He had to be realistic, there was no way around it.Maybe eft was tough love that he was showing her, but it was better than nothing. 

"What if something happens to you?" Nile asked, being a bit sheepish about it and almost a bit wounded. 

"Then I'll deal with it," Booker answered, understanding what was going on in the question.

"Booker," The tone in her voice was a bit out authoritative now since she knew the others weren't going to listen.Booker breathed out slowly, feeling a bit uncomfortable with how this conversation was going, "I'm serious.I know the others still care about you,"

Booker scoffed, a bit too loudly for Nile to hear.

"They do!" Nile reasoned, almost in a pleading tone, "I'll be honest when I saw they care.They're just too old and almost senile to realize and admit it.You and I are the only young ones in the group, not to mention being the only ones who are tech-savvy,"

"And now that's your role for them," Booker explained calmly, "What I did to them is beyond cruel and horrible.I'll admit it until I'm blue in the face, and because of that I don't belong to be anywhere near you all until those 100 years are done."

"Don't be stubborn about it," Nile tried to reason and ease the tension between the both of us.

"I'm not, I'm being realistic," Booker told her, "I have to be and live with what I did."

"That doesn't mean to be all by yourself in all of this," Nile explained, "I know what you went through, what you felt.You're in pain, and being alone throughout that pain has consequences,"

"I'm already living with the consequences with what I did," Booker explained, "What else is there for me to do?"

"Not to go down a path that's going to kill you in the end," Nile answered, sounding a bit emotional when she said it.Booker said nothing for a long moment.He maybe have already started on that path, but to him, it isn’t anything that he was going to fix in the current moment.Nile was coming from a good place, there was had to be placed into consideration.But Booker wasn’t really in the mood to have some kind of grief counseling session with her on the phone.His headspace was too filled with hate and guilt with all he dealt with and had to face head-on. 

“I’m fine,” He replied, ending it then and there with Nile, “I’ll be fine, alright?”

Nile said nothing for a moment, and maybe for a split second, Booker thought he overstepped with her.But he then heard her sigh, almost in annoyance.

“Just call me if something does happen, can you promise me that?” Nile asked, her voice was back to being calm and no longer emotional or a hint of anger.Booker had to give her something at least, Nile deserved that anyhow.He was far too tired to let this drag out, and the last thing that was on his mind was trying to be sweet in this conversation when he was bitter in the end. 

“I promise,” He replied, “You have my number, just in case something does happen.I need to get some sleep, Nile.Thanks for calling, but….I can’t do this.I’ll talk to you later,”

Booker hung up the phone before Nile could say anything.He sighed, holding his head in his hands and breaking out a shaky breath.

This was going to be a long century.

* * *

**15 Years into Exile**

Booker floated around Paris for the first 15 years, it was easier since it was a big enough city not to be noticed or seen around by the same set of eyes or people.It was better that way, having not too much care as to who was watching him or judging when he would buy plenty of alcohol from the corner market or drink away the pain in the local bar.It was a new routine, and although it looked downright suicidal to the rest of the world, it was fine by Booker.

He needed to forget.

His mind would do to dark places, dark places that he never thought he would go back to.The lonely days were morphing to weeks, then into months, and lastly into years.He was watching the seasons go by and wouldn’t really blink an eye to it.The only time he would react was in the winter, the harms remembrance of being hung by the neck in the snow all that time ago and dying over and over again within 3 days until he was finally rescued.

Booker had enough.

Depression was a funny thing that Booker never thought twice about.Nile brought up a good point from that phone call, Booker had to admit it.He still had his laptop, doing some research on his own about depression and only getting the bullet points around the subject.The symptoms that were listed did fit him in some ways: restlessness, insomnia, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness.

So, Booker was depressed.That was fair.

Every time he would fall asleep he would dream back to that day on the riverbank, the others walking away from him and not even giving him a second or third chance to explain.It was written all over their faces: that pain and shame they felt for him, shame and anger.Booker was letting it slip under and into his skin like a virus, not even second-guessing it and accepting it. 

It got to the point one night when Booker wasn’t having it anymore.He was too much into his now pain to realize that he was holding his gun in his hand and sitting in the bathtub his apartment.His mine was so clogged with hate towards himself and wanting the pain to end, wanting that remorse and sadness that was engulfed everywhere for him that he just wanted it all to end. 

Of course, he knew that it couldn’t really kill himself, but he knew, in the end, he was going to wake up and just shake it off.But to do that to himself, all alone in a grungy bathroom, away from anyone who blinked an eye to him, that was what broke the straw on the camels back.

He thought of his wife and sons, how they would think of him as crazy and insane to do this.Wouldn’t his wife want him to live and to get on with his life without her?Her face pictured in his name, so clear and lovely as she was mentally watching him with tears in her eyes.She was so beautiful to him, Booker could never see anyone else with that beauty and he doubted he ever will.But in his mind, she was crying in how he was beating himself up.

Then he thought of his sons, all three of them.They were his pride and joy, and he loved being their father.That rejection he felt when his youngest lashed at him for him sharing his Immortality cut him deep and so sharp that it was beyond painful.Yet now, would his sons want him to be seen like this?

Lastly, for whatever reason, he did think of the others: Andy, Joe, Nicky, and Nile.Although he knew they were his second family all this time, helping through some of the ups and downs, He knew he made a very bad choice when it came to them.He just wanted to end his Immortality himself, but he sacrificed the others because of that.At the time, maybe he was on autopilot because of it/Now, it was different.He would take it back if he could, he would have made another choice that didn’t involve him wounding Andy or Nicky and Joe ending up being lab rats. 

Finally, Booker dropped the gun to the ground and leaned back in the tub, closing his eyes and wallowing in his own pity.He couldn't even shoot himself in the head to pause the pain he had, making himself feel even more pathetic.He spent the first 15 years wasting away, drinking herself to a damaged liver that could be studied in universities or used to alcohol prevention courses, and now he ended up in the bathtub about to blow his brains out.This was the wall he was pressed against, and all he could do was just breathe and remind himself.

He had to do better.

Nile asked him to do better, she wanted that for him.Maybe she thought he was going to self-shame himself for the 100 years he was away from the others and expect to survive.He only lasted 15 years, and the next 85 were going to be hell.Maybe this wasn’t going to be too bad if he was going to actually do something about his exile.Given that he ended up where he was, he could at least try and go up from here.

So, with a bit of reluctance and some strength on his part, Booker was going to try.He had 85 years to do something positive, and he was going to try with all his might.


	2. Year 20 - 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter! It'll be a bit heavy since we're talking about depression. 
> 
> I tried to give Booker the symptoms of Depression and him talking to a psychologist about what he was feeling since it felt like he had to express it somehow! Our poor Booker gets the help he needs! 
> 
> PS, If you think I can tweak or fix something in this chapter involving the subject of depression, PLEASE email me at 
> 
> Redheadclover9@gmail.com
> 
> I do want to make sure I handle this subject carefully and with good intentions! 
> 
> Please let me know how I'm doing in the comments below! Thanks for the love and kudos! 
> 
> Enjoy :)

**20 Years Into Exile**

  
Booker starts his turn around moving out of France and migrating to Toronto, Canada for another 20 years, give or take. 

He figured staying in Europe wouldn't be the best thing in for him because the others could be there, and he wanted to give them as much space as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was to run into them and to have some kind of awkward encounter with all of them, although there was still that yearning to talk to them and to tell them how he felt remorseful for his actions. He knew they didn't want to hear it from him. So he settled in a studio loft in downtown Ontario, gun still nestled under his pillow, and he never used it once. The apartment was small enough just for him and in a quiet spot away from the hustle and bustle of the crazy city.

  
For one, he was getting bored of going out of his apartment only to get liquor or food, and he felt that a new change for him would be to have some kind of attempt to be social with other people. It wasn't their fault he was in a permanent mood, almost being hailed as the "Loner" from the other tenants in his old building back in Paris. So this time, he figured he would be a bit friendlier with the tenants in this new building. They were nice enough, a few couples and a small family that had a new baby boy. He merely smiled at them as he would pass by their door, seeing them wave back in return. 

It was baby steps. He'd take that over nothing.

  
Secondly, he gets a job as a grocer.

It's a small job, really it's mundane if he was going to be honest with himself. He made a new alias for himself with brand new documents and a new ID. Thankfully he still had some of his tools on his laptop to cook up a brand new person, making sure it seemed legit to pass through. Of course, it would be, he was extremely good at forging new documents. But he likes his job at the grocery store: stocking shelves, sorting boxes in the back, and bagging food for customers. Even going out to retrieve shopping carts made Booker have a pep in his step. Who knew doing something as mind-numbing as grabbing empty carts and chopping fruit for fruit bowls would make his day.

In all honesty, It makes the day go by a little bit faster and to give him some change in his pocket. It's not much, comparing he still has his Swiss account from past jobs filled with cash. He barely tapped into the account: he never bought any property or land, nothing too big or extravagant. The only thing he ever bought was liquor, which now that he thought about it seemed a bit sad and pathetic. Booker figured he took it offline from the others since they all used to keep an eye on each other's account for safety purposes. Booker made his private, no longer traceable to anyone, not even Copley and his ex-CIA training.

Speaking of which, Copley still kept his tabs on Booker throughout the years, only checking in every other month in case Booker needed something. Booker always told him no, reassuring him that he was fine and not needing any assistance. Maybe he was asking on behalf of Nile, since the last time he spoke to her on the phone he was a bit mean to her, let alone was in a dark place. 

Nile call him at least two more times, checking in with him to make sure he was okay. She might have been spooked to do so since their first phone call conversation, keeping it short and light. Booker was sensing that she did care about him, hearing her give a brief rundown with the others and how they were doing. As much as he wanted to ask so many questions about it and about them, he didn't. He kept the talks brief since the last thing he wanted to do was get Nile in trouble for talking to him on the phone.

Booker did think of her from time to time, how she was settling in with the group, and being a team member. Sure, it was less of burning pain that he felt knowing that he couldn't go back, and now the burning feeling went into a small tingling of a burn. Booker could start to feel the change and shifting how he viewed where he stood with the four of them, realizing that there was nothing for him to do but just live his life. 

Quynh was also on his mind. He never saw her again, not since that first meeting in Paris. Booker knew she was trying to find Andy, and since Nile never said anything about Quynh finding them, Booker assumed that she was still out and about in the world. It was a bit fascinating to think about: Quynh experiencing the modern world as it was and how things have changed dramatically for her. Booker was glad he didn't dream of her in the iron maiden anymore, his sleep has gotten a lot better. But maybe, just maybe, Booker was hoping she would turn up like a phantom or a wisp of wind to him and tell him all she learned so far. 

He was both intrigued and intimidated by her at the same time. A lethal mix no doubt.

The third major change was his alcohol intake. At the very beginning of all of this, he would drink and drink until he knew his liver was hating him. His liver still hated him, ever after healing itself over and over. But Booker knew that it was far too much, and there was no need to go down that rabbit hole again. It lead him to him sitting in a grubby bathtub and holding his gun against his head. Maybe it was divine intervention, seeing his late wife and late sons in his line of vision, or that the bitter taste of what he did to both Nicky and Joe that left them almost to die, but Booker had enough with his self-pity.

He once again went through the motions of life, going to work in the morning and coming back in the evening. He would still drink, but he tried to limit himself to a few drinks a week and not every day. Booker even started looking up tools online for how he could be better at it. He liked his life at the moment, which was saying something since he still had dark moments and lonely nights in his new apartment. He didn't want to dive into it just yet since it still felt a bit too soon, but maybe he could talk to someone about his depression. 

Who knows.

* * *

  
**25 Years Into Exile**

" _Bonjour_ Mr. Ferez!"

Booker was locking up his apartment to go grocery shopping on a Sunday when one of his neighbors spoke up to him using his new alias, his neighbors two doors down were named Sarah and Adam. They were a newly married couple that moved in a few months ago, both of them were newly in love and enraptured with each other. They both worked in the city, the husband being a contractor and the wife being a nurse. They were young and in love, and although in the past Booker would be jealous, this time around he was neutral about it. It wasn't their fault he had no luck in love or affection, so why lash it out on them? Sarah and Adam were good neighbors, and Sarah was approaching him with a big grin on her face.

"Good morning, Sarah," Booker greeted her kindly, seeing her blond hair up in a high bun and noticing she was in a work out outfit, "You and Adam going to the gym today I take it?"

"Sunday's a good day to go, I wanted to see if you wanted to join us," Sarah explained to him, "We can't help but notice that you've been a little down lately. We don't want to press it, but we hope you're okay,"

Booker felt a bit bad, thinking that he was doing alright with how he interacted with others around him and his moods. Perhaps in recent weeks, he was feeling a bit down because he was missing the four other Immortals and their company. He was so used to being around them days on end, hours on end even. And now, a quarter of a century into his exile, maybe it was showing that his loneliness was a bit better, but just as heart-wrenching. 

He missed watching football matches with Joe and yelling at the screen because of horrible fouls and bad calls, even losing some of his cash to the man because of a bet. He missed Nicky's cooking and mild debates about religion and their differences, hearing Nicky's side was way more logical, and yet he would still debate just to get Nicky riled up for the briefest of moments. He even missed sparring with Andy and partnering with her in self-loathing about their loneliness, hearing her say to him constantly that they were in this together. Of course, he would miss Nile, barely knowing her but already feeling as though they would be good friends none the less in their new lives as Immortals and their knowledge for modern technology.

"I just miss my family," Booker explained to her simply, seeing her face drop a bit from hearing that, "They've not around a whole lot, because of a decision I made a long time ago that made us not talk now,"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Sarah said with a hint of sadness. Booker shrugged.

"It's alright," Booker reassured her, not wanting to stir up trouble there in the hallway of their building, "I've learned to live with it this long, I think I can handle a few more years," Sarah still looked a bit sad from hearing that, but she gave him a warm smile.

"Well, if you want, you can always join us at the gym. I heard it's good to exercise and let out some endorphins when one is a bit sad," Sarah tried to explain as he husband finally emerged from their apartment and saw the both of us together. He too was a handsome fellow, sighing with a grin as he saw his wife and he walked over.

"Sarah, leave the man be!" he said in a chuckle. Sarah just rolled her eyes as Booker gave them a reassurance smile, even if he was a bit uncomfortable with the situation, "I doubt he would want to join us for a gym session when he has other things to do,"

"It's quite alright," Booker said to the husband, yet he knew Adam wasn't going to be angry with his wife, "I'm off to the bookstore to get a few books to read anyhow. Maybe…maybe I'll join you some other time,"

Booker had to give her some kind of olive branch to ease the tension. They were trying to be kind after all, and if he was going to be a new person out of this whole exile, why not make a friend or two along the way. Of course, he was trained not to stay in one place for a long time with the fear of being exposed or seen, and he still avoided main events or performances that did just that. 

He was still good on that end, even from getting reports from Copley that he wasn't on radar anywhere on his end in London. Booker was doing a good job laying low, so maybe an outing or two with his neighbors wasn't going to hurt. He would be careful and cautious, not posing for pictures or being out where security cameras would be visually seen.

"That would be great," Sarah said in a grin, "I know we just threw that offer on you out of nowhere, but anytime you want to join us, please let us know," 

"Thanks," Booker thanked her kindly. 

"Also, whenever you need a home-cooked meal, feel free to come by," Adam suggested with a shrug, "Doesn't hurt to have a good meal in your stomach from time to time,"

Booker smiled again, "Of course, I'll let you know. Enjoy your work out,"

And with a wave, Booker left the couple in the hallway and made his way to the bookstore. 

* * *

"Oh my! Look at how precious she is!"

"It's horrible that someone left this poor thing out here on her own,"

Booker climbed the stairs to the floor of his apartment late one afternoon, hearing some talk at the foot of the stairs. It made him a bit unsure, walking up step by step and noting that it was mostly his neighbors talking. No one new or foreign to him.

Once he got to the top step, there was a huddle of his neighbors in the corner. They were hunched over something, looking beyond concurred as Booker walked a bit closer. He saw some of the regular tenants and neighbors, he even saw Adam and Sarah too. Finally, an elderly man by the name of Jakub was seen, sticking out in plain sight. He was a sweet man from Poland that immigrated to Canada some time ago and lived with his wife and nephew next door to Booker. 

They’ve lived in the building for 30 years, very well known with the other tenants as being both kind and curious with others. Booker liked them well enough, they were nice to him and gave him left over Pierogi or Kiszka to eat since they thought he was too skinny. Jakub saw him and waved him over.

"Oh, Mr. Ferez…come! You must see, come!" He said in his thick Polish accent. He seemed concerned, Booker walked over to see what they were looking at. Jakub had the others move away to have Booker see, and once he saw, he could see why they were sad.

Sarah was holding within her arms, wrapped in a blanket, a young cat who was thin and frail, almost shaken to the bone, and curled into a tight ball. It was almost unclear to see it was a cat at first. Its fur was dark brown and matted, wet from God knows what. She had to have been almost an adult, not a kitten, but she was so scared with all of then she would have been like a kitten. 

"The poor thing was out in the alleyway, dumped in a wet cardboard box!" Sarah said to Booker with a torn look on her face as her husband hushed her gently and rubbed her arm to calm her, "She's so skinny I couldn't leave her out there. She would have died!"

"You did the right thing, miss," Jakub's wife, Anya, reassured her in her accent and peered over at the cat. Booker felt a bit bad for the animal too, seeing it curl into the blanket that Sarah wrapped it in and tried to get warm.

"Did you call for animal service?" Booker asked a suggestion as he was rearranging the strap on his shoulder from his messenger beg.

"Yes, but they won't be here for a while," Adam replied for his wife, "We both were going to do out for our date,"

"And we're a bit too old and a bit unprepared to care for the poor creature," Jakub explained to Booker, his wife nodding in agreement. Booker sighed, almost seeing what was going to come next. He looked at all of the neighbors, seeing them slowly look over at him and give him a kind stare. 

Booker wasn't one to hate animals, he grew up around them. He didn't mind dogs or cats, it was just the fact that he never thought he would ever have one on his own, given the kind of life he had with the others. It never made sense to have one since they were constantly moving and traveling. Although he was no animal lover, he tolerated them. 

Which was why he found himself with the cat curled up on his couch, waiting for the representatives to come by from animal services. 

  
Booker didn't mind, he honestly didn't. But he didn't know what to do, feeling a bit helpless as the cat was watching him, still wrapped in the blanket and still perched on the couch. Booker felt like he should get a drink with this chaos that was now placed in his lap. He felt like he had no right to care for an animal, let alone a lonely cat. Then again, the cat didn't seem too bad.

She was a timid thing, scared of any little small noise that was heard in the apartment. Booker felt a bit bad, up to the point he shrugged off his boots and placed his messenger bag on its hook without making too much of a sound. He then sat in a chair next to the couch, wanting to give the cat some space as he opened his laptop and started typing away at some paperwork he was forging. He was already thinking of the next place he would go to and live in, giving himself another 5 years or so in Toronto before he over stayed his welcome.

But the cat was watching him.

Booker would drift his eyes over to the creature every once in a while, seeing he was being intensely watched with the massive yellow eyes. At first, he didn't care, but then after a few long minutes, it was sinking in. It was almost being a bothering, having him think the cat was somehow wanting his attention and affection. Finally, Booker closed his laptop, clearly he wasn't going to get anything work done with the cat gazing at him almost in yearning and care.

"You hungry, little one?" Booker asked, almost scoffing to himself in how he spoke to an animal as if it was a person. He knelt on the ground, being eye level to the cat as he scooted a bit closer and reached out to show her his fingers. At first, she meowed very faintly and was frightened by Booker and his approach. Booker sighed.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Booker reassured, once again thinking that the cat would understand, "Although I wouldn't blame ya. I apparently hurt anyone I get close to,"

Booker felt a bit melodramatic with what he said. He never gave himself much love as he should have. Maybe it was because he was still harboring all of the ugly things he did in the past and was trying to get over it, and sure some of those tools that he would use, including alcohol. He also grew up in a time that self-love was never really something to talk about or practice, and yet now seeing it advertised all over was new and foreign to him. Booker was trying to give himself some progress and some room to grow, like a plant in a new pot that was stretching out its roots to get space to reach up and flourish. For Booker, it was longer than he thought. 

Booker was too zoned-out, too much in his mind to realize that the cat was reaching her head out to rub against his fingers. He looked down at the cat, feeling against her fur that she was starting to purr and nuzzled into his fingers some more to get some much-needed attention. Booker grinned, rubbing his entire hand along the fur and feeling some warmth not just from the fur but from the action of it all.

  
"You're not scared of me after all," Booker chuckled.

  
It turns out that Booker ended up keeping the cat for himself. When animal service came to check on her, they saw she wasn't chipped, nor did she belong to anyone technically. Whoever had her before didn't treat her right and didn't want her, Booker only wished for a special place in hell for someone who would inflict harm on an animal. Other than the cat being underweight, Booker was cleared to keep her. 

Sure, he didn't wake up that morning knowing that he was going to adopt a stray cat. Yet, the echoing words of Nicky was in his brain as he was reading a book the couch, the cat snuggling into the crook of his arm and purring loudly in satisfaction made him think that maybe this was destiny. 

Booker's destiny was having a cat.

  
Booker named her Maria, and he ended up keeping her for the next 10 years or so.

* * *

  
**35 Years Into Exile**

  
"So, tell me why we're here today?"

Booker moved around a bit on the couch and folded his hands in his lap. He felt for a split second that this might not have been the best idea. But maybe he felt like he had to do this sooner rather than later, so when he moved over to the Pacific Northwest in Seattle, he made an appointment to talk to someone about his depression and perhaps his alcohol problem. It would be tricky since he couldn't tell the psychologist the entire detail of his life, he would be locked up and taken away within a second.

Booker looked around the small room, seeing the typical degrees on the walls and some pleasant pictures. He's never been to a shrink before, and he didn't know if that was the right term. Perhaps it wasn't, but Booker was going to be open-minded about it.

"I think I'm depressed," Booker explained, keeping it short. The psychologist he was meeting with, a Dr. Crenshaw, was a nice enough woman. She was in her mid-thirties, short bobbed hair that framed her face nicely and was in a dark shade of brown. She had a notepad on her lap and a pen at the ready. 

"And what makes you think you are?" She asked, looking at Booker in pure curiosity.

"I've been down and out for some time." Booker explained, looking down at his fingers in his lap, "A while back I had a…a bit of a blow out with my family and they told me to leave them alone for a while,"

"Was it a serious blowout?" She asked, writing on her notepad.

"Yeah, it was really bad," Booker answered, biting his lower lip with a sense of anxiety re-thinking all of that. 

"So, you had a fight with your family, and they asked you to leave them alone. How did that make you feel?" She asked, Booker giving her an uneasy look as she chuckled, "I know, a typical question to hear. You can say whatever is on your mind in this room, it's a safe space for you to express how to feel and it's purely confidential,"

"I don't know if I'm ready for going that deep and personal," Booker explained, in which she grinned.

"Not in the first few sessions, Mr. Johnson. We usually get to know each other in the first couple of times when we meet together before we go real deep. However, I can tell you are here for a specific reason and purpose. So, we can talk about your depression and help hammer it out as best as we can," She reassured Booker calmly and kindly, having him breathe out slowly and a nod of his head. Of course, he never had to really talk about his feelings before, and this was a bit too new. 

"So, with this blowout that you've had with your family," She kept going, "When did you speak to them last?"

"It feels like forever," Booker explained, trying to be brief, "If I can be honest?"

"Please," She encouraged.

"It feels like 30 years, give or take," He shrugged, a small smile on her lips.

"That's quite a long time," She hummed, Booker nodding calmly.

"Anyways, after I left them and went on my own, I guess that's when it started," Booker explained, "I was already a drinker, a heavy one back in the day and this made it worse. I would have a few bottles a day just to forgot about the fight, I would get nightmares about that and past stuff that happened too,"

"And you felt like the drinking contributed to your depression?" she asked.

"Yeah, or triggered it I suppose. I didn't want to get out of bed most of the time, I felt guilty about all that happened since it was my fault for the blow-up that happened, and it made me feel lower than low," Booker explained some more, trying sound it out correctly, "I would get anxiety every once in a while from it and some bad flashbacks. I even tried to kill myself right after I left, but I couldn't go through with it,"

Booker went quiet, already thinking about the last 30 years. He remembered those nights that were dark and long, hearing the voices in his head that he wasn't good enough to be alive. It was okay some nights and devastating other nights. Those moments where he thought he was depressed made sense in how he never wanted to get out of bed, how he could barely sleep because he was afraid to see the looks of shame on their faces, and that guilt that would eat him from the inside out. 

"It does sound like you're right," Booker looked up at the psychologist, seeing her watch him with careful and gentle eyes. Booker blinked a few times.

"About what?" Booker asked, not catching on. 

"You having depression," She explained, Booker slowly nodding his head. He wasn't reacting in the way he thought he would, it felt more like he was being placed in a lukewarm bath and having it wash over him. He was right this whole time, but maybe he was afraid to really tread through it. Maybe hearing it from another person who knew about this. 

"Dealing with depression on one's own can be dangerous and would lead to serious consequences. However, most cases are not like that at all. The fact that you are already aware of this, and you're willing to find the tools and advice to help it, while on your own with no real support system to lean on, is very admiral and brave," She explained to Booker, "Although it is not ideal, I am glad you wish to talk about it. Most cases of depression happen with those who don't have the proper tools and proper ways to ease it, let alone express how they feel, then later in extinguishing it altogether. It'll take a lot of strength, patience, and practice, Mr. Johnson. However, it is possible, please know that. There is still hope in all of this, if you're willing,"

Booker had to take that leap, he had to feel like he was going to really get a hold of what he was building up inside for not just the past 30 years being on his own, but before that when he was lost from his old family. A part of him wished he did this sooner, but then again he wasn't in the right place to do it sooner. He was willing to try now and to get a good grasp of it.

"Now," She said in a smile, "If you want, let's dive a bit deeper on that and see what we can do to make it better for you, agreed?"

"Absolutely." He replied without a once of hesitance. 

* * *

**50 Years since Exile**

He was halfway through his exile sentence, but to be honest, Booker wasn't paying too much attention to it.

New Zealand was his home at his halfway mark. Booker found a small piece of land that was open to buy and he found himself building a cottage from the ground up. Of course, he did have some help along the way, hiring some contractors and designers to make the place look decent. Booker had no sense of fashion or any taste in all his life, he would rather throw on jeans and a t-shirt every day and be done with it. So when the small house was complete, looking like a getaway vacation house that was tucked away in the rolling green hills, Booker finally had a small sense of a home that was all to himself. 

He loved it.

Booker was getting a lot better dealing with his depression. After he moved to New Zealand from Seattle, he would have monthly sessions with a counselor who lived in the same town he was in just to make sure he was staying on track with his depression. Even at that point, he knew he was getting immensely better. The lows that he had before weren't so low anymore, he was able to fully sleep at night and find himself active in the mornings with runs through town. Alcohol was no longer part of his meals or leisurely activities, he made sure of that with his new home. Any time he would drink, he would be careful about and be aware not to overdo as he did before. He was quite proud of himself because of that.

It also helped that he was staying busy. He got a few degrees from college in history and social sciences, currently working on a degree in psychology. Booker reached out to an older Copley, asking if he was willing to find some solo recon missions for Booker to do. Booker did miss traveling around the world and putting some of his skills to good use. Copley was more than willing to get Booker back out in the field, and he reassured Booker that the others didn't have to know. So, he did solo fieldwork and recon jobs that was finding himself dealing with human trafficking rings in Africa, or taking out a Drug Lord or two in South America. It was nice, some more money in his pocket and keeping his head on straight. Although at this point, Booker wasn't thinking of the others far too much as he did in the very beginning. Maybe it was because he was busy, or that he was learning how to deal with those low moments, yet he didn't forget them. 

He was content.

One afternoon while he was out on the patio at his cottage, working away on his laptop, he heard a knock at the front door. Booker looked over, a bit curious since he wasn't expecting anyone at the moment. The cat that was on the table and sunbathing, a rag doll named Chère, poked her head up at the noise as well and almost looked agitated. 

Chère was an emotional therapy cat, an actual therapy cat that was referred to Booker at one of his counseling sessions. She was an older cat, around 8 or 9 years old, but she knew how to calm Booker and give him affection when he needed it. Booker was still batting with some anxiety from time to time, and although half of the time he was fine with it, the other half was hard. Chère would hop on his chest and press weight on his chest to calm him down, or just cuddle against him. Booker was grateful, and although it seemed silly to have a cat to calm him down, he didn't mind it one bit. 

Booker chuckled from the cat's reaction as he flicked her ear, Chère tried to nip at him in retaliation. He got up from the chair, walking through the small house and over to the wooden door. He should have looked through the peephole before he unlocked it, maybe that was his fault, but when he opened the door to look and see who was on the other side, he was frozen on his spot. This view was the last thing he thought he would ever see, and it almost teetered everything in his brain.

Four Immortals were at his front door. 


	3. Exile Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an interlude of Booker's exile, only involving this surprise meeting with the others. I'll hop back onto the rest of his exile in the next two chapters, promise ;)
> 
> Once again, it'll be a bit heavy in this chapter since the group is hashing everything out. 
> 
> Please enjoy :)

Booker did not expect to see his Immortal family at his front doorstep. 

  
Every single one of them looked like they haven't aged a day, and it almost like Booker was getting some kind of flashback. All the way back to when they were in London, fifty years ago, and hearing them all come to an agreement that the exile was going to let for 100 years. Booker had to use all of his will power to not slam the door back in their face and wish it was all a dream. So now, even though Booker was a bit surprised and happy to see them, he was confused.

Andy looked a bit older, but not as old as Booker thought she was going to be. She had a few wrinkles here and there along her face, even some silver hair amongst the dark strands while her hair was long and down her back. Her eyes were still the same, cool and beautiful. Maybe she got her Immortality back after all, that whole theory was always a mystery to Booker and how there could be a singular moment that could take it all away. Perhaps it wasn't like that for Andy after all.

Nile was next to her, a small smile on her face as Booker watch her. She had her hair in beautiful braids, wrapped in a bun behind her hair face looking beyond gentle and stoic. Booker was glad to see her with such a smile on her face, but when he turned his gaze over to the two men behind Nile and Andy, his small glimmer of happiness was gone.

Nicky looked neutral, his face was just the same as it was when Booker saw him last. But now, he was neither happy to see Booker, nor was he mad. In fact, he looked solemn as they locked eyes, his hands in his jacket pockets and his hair seeming a bit longer. Booker gave him a short smile, but he made the wrong choice when he looked at Nicky's husband.

Joe looked aggravated to say that least. For some reason, Booker was not surprised to see that look of hate on his face. Although, with the others, they seemed a bit tamer in comparison to how they were before when they walked away. But Joe seemed just the same, so Booker looked back at Andy quickly 

"Heya, Book," Andy said to him, sounding like her usual self as Booker uncomfortably cleared his throat. What did he want to say? How was he going to talk to them? He was only halfway into his exile, so he wasn't planning on what he was going to say to them or how he was going to talk to all four of them. 

"Hi," He replied, inwardly cringing with how he sounded. He was uneasy with all of this, there was nothing planned for them to come there and talk to him. Maybe he was being a bit paranoid about it, but then again with where his headspace was, uncertainty threw him off. 

"What brings you here?" Booker asked, trying to sound a bit casual. Andy cleared her throat a bit uncomfortably as she motioned with her head over to Nile.

"This one wanted to pop in," Andy explained, Nile nodding her head with her smile still there, "And…I figured we all would come over and say hello,"

"You wanted to come out here to say….hello?" Booker questioned, seeming a bit uneasy since it wasn't making sense in his mind. All four of them wanted to say hello? Booker thought that was crazy in itself. If it was Nile, then it made more sense, but the other three? Booker highly doubted that either Nicky or Joe would ever want to pop in on him during his exile, and from what he was seeing, Joe would rather get a root canal than be here at his house with the others. 

"Yes," Nile replied for her, being the happiest of the four of them, "I was the one who wants us to come out there and do a small check up on you,"

"Well….thank you I guess," Booker said, scratching the back of his head as Nile was giving him a cornered look. Maybe she wasn't expecting the reaction from Booker. Then again, he wasn't expecting them to be here at his front door. 

"We didn't mean to spring upon you out of nowhere," Nile tried to reason with him, her face faltering a bit since she wasn't getting a great reaction from Booker, "But we wanted it to be a surprise—"

"It is a surprise," Booker cut her off, seeing her mouth go shut instantly and Andy's eyes going a bit wide. Even Nicky looked a bit shocked, and Joe was still staring at Booker with irritation. Booker sighed, moving out of the way and rubbing his fingers, "You guys can come in if you want,"

Booker walked away as the others slowly walking in, Booker mentally trying to tell himself in his mind over and over that he was fine, he was going to be fine, and he had to believe that they were just checking in on them. His old soldier mind was trying to be tactile and smart, being a few steps ahead of the others in case they were here for other reasons. That couldn't be the case, since they wouldn't do that.

Would thy?

"I like the house," Andy said in a bad attempt of small talk, "How did you find it?"

"I built it," Booker replied, a small hint of pride on his tone as he turned and looked at the four of them in his house. Andy and Nile were looking at him in surprise, Booker seeing that they weren't expecting that. Nicky and Joe were quiet, though Nicky was looking around at the house itself and had a small look of interest in the handiwork. Joe was standing still near the front door as if he was trying so hard not to go into the house. Was he spooked? Was he still angry?

Booker didn't care, he only cared that they were here too soon.

"You built it yourself?" Nile asked.

"I had some help. but I built it from the ground up," Booker answered her, "This land was up for sale and I bought it. After a few months, I had this house, and there's also a few open acres in the backyard that I own too,"

"It looks good," Andy replied to him with a soft smile on her face. Booker looked at her with a raised eyebrow, eyeing her up and down. There was a pondering thought on his mind about Andy and he felt like he had to say it before he would forget.

"You look good, Andy," He said to her with a nod of his head, Andy nodding her head in an agreement as she shifted on her feet, "Did you….did your…"

"My Immortality came back. It happened a while ago, and I didn't think that it could happen at all," She explained watching Booker for his reaction. The others did too, almost hoping that he would have some kind of reaction to hearing this news. But Booker could only nod his head, slowly letting it wash over him and not make him feel angry about it. If they knew all this time about her Immortality coming back, then who was he to be mad since they weren't supposed to be speaking to one another?

"That's good, then. I'm glad to hear the news," Booker replied, leaning it at that. That answer almost left Andy a bit speechless as Nile was wandering over to the small study area that had books piled on the top, along with some of the degrees that were perched on the wall.

"You went to college?" Nile asked, Booker turning to focus on Nile now as she was reading each degree.

"Yeah," he answered almost having a nervous chuckle, "I got two degrees in America. Actually, I'm on the third degree right now, it's online,"

"What's your major?" Nile asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Psychology," Booker replied, a small smirk on his lips from sounding a bit proud about it. But he heard a snort behind him, almost a scoff. He looked to see it was from Joe, who was still giving Booker a look of hate with his arms cross in front of him. Booker could tell something was stewing in Joe's mind, he could read it on Joe's face and he heard it in the scoff that he voiced.

As soon as Booker looked at him and he was glaring at Booker, he saw Nicky give Joe a questioned look for a brief moment. Andy shot Joe a knowing look as well, almost warning him in silence not to say another word. Booker was been given that look before plenty of times by Andy, in awkward or tense situations either on a recon mission or in a safe house, and Booker knew what that stare meant.

_Don't say another word._

"Oh!" We all looked over to see Nicky looking down at a Chère the cat nuzzling against his leg, wrapping her tail around his ankle and purring loudly at him while watching him with her big yellow cat eyes. Booker took a few steps over, feeling a bit bad that he didn't hear his cat waltzing into the room and going over to Nicky. But Nicky wasn't looking at the cat in disgust but in intrigue. There was even a hint of a smile on Nicky's face.

"Sorry, she's my cat," Booker explained as Nicky was slowly kneeling to reach over and touch the top of the cat's head, who was molded into his hand with affection, "Her name is Chère,"

"Never took you as a cat person, Book," Andy said, trying to joke with Booker and make the mood light as Booker shrugged.

"She's more of a support cat," as soon as he said that, Booker regretted it. All four of them look over at him now with curiosity and a hint of concern. Booker wanted to mentally punch himself in the face, this was the last thing that he wanted to express to them. it was already bad enough that they were there, unannounced to him, when he was doing rather good in his exile and was on a good climb with it, and now he told them that he had a therapy animal as if it was a regular topic of conversation. 

"A support cat?" Nicky asked, talking for the first time since they arrived. He was curious, not cynical as Booker thought he was going to be. Booker took in a long breath, seeing Nile out of the corner of his eye looking a bit concerned now as the other three were just downright confused.

"What's a support cat?" Andy asked, not understanding as Nile walked over to stand near him, a look of realization on her face as Booker finally made eye contact with her. It looked like Booker broke her heart in how she was staring at him.

"It's an emotional therapy animal, isn't it?" Nile asked, almost sheepishly. Booker said nothing, but his eyes could never lie to her at all. She could read him like a book, which was one of the intriguing things about her that Booker appreciated. But to see her looking so sad for Booker, almost in pity, was making Booker feel worse how with this reunion they were having. 

"What are you talking about, Nile?" Nicky asked, a bit more concerned now as he walked over where Nile and Booker were. Chère was clearly no longer interested in Nicky and trotted over to her owner, standing next to him in a protective manner. Nile took in a long breath before he looked at the other three, seeing them look at her and watch her like a hawk since they didn't understand. 

"An old friend of mine in the Marines had an emotional therapy dog when he was suffering from PTSD, and I know about a few others who had them too," Nile explained to the others, still standing close to Booker almost in a protective manner as the others were listening to Nile, "It's a common thing nowadays. Therapy animals, even emotional therapy animals, are trained to help someone who's suffering or need assistance in treatment, whatever that may be. It can be those with autism, those who have a physical disability that can't do basic tasks, soldiers or survivors who have PTSD from a traumatic event, and they can also detect a seizure before it happens or any other ailment that could be fatal. But they can also help with anxiety or—"

"Depression," Booker ended it for her. He wanted to say it instead of letting Nile say it. They were all looking at him now, having the news settle under their skin and in their bones. Niles looked like she was about to be in tears from him using that word, Andy was confused and almost conflicted. Nicky was just as confused, though he seemed a bit hurt from what he heard. Joe, although he was still having the scowl on his face, lessened his anger from the news.

"You have depression, Booker?" Andy asked, sounding unsure about it. Booker was inwardly battling with himself in what he wanted to say since he was barely coming out of depression. There were plenty of talks with therapists and counselors in recent years that Booker went through, so many nights that were in fact low. But the lighter days were outnumbering the lows. Booker felt a small tinge of confidence in this, and a small part of him wanted to be reassured that they would be willing to at least listen to him and try to understand. 

"Yes," Booker replied, his voice sounding a bit short and uneasy. Nile looked like she wanted to cry from hearing Booker admit it. Both Nicky and Andy looked stunned in the face, and Joe's stern look was almost melting down to downright confused.

"How…how long have you been, feeling like this?" Nile asked, trying to sound polite about it but she, herself, was trying to hold it together from hearing this. Booker took in a shaky breath as he was thinking about how he was going to respond to her.

"For a while," Booker explained, "I've been seeing a therapist about it for some time. After talking to my first therapist about it 15 years ago, I realized I've had it since my wife and sons died," It was another blow to the stomach as Andy was now looking like she was trying not to be emotional about it either. This was making me feel a bit worse now since clearly none of them were expecting to learn this from Booker. 

"Why didn't you say anything?" Andy had to ask, sounding hurt herself. Booker could see it in her eyes, she was trying to figure out why she never saw it before or noticed any of the signs. Booker couldn't blame her, he didn't even think he was depressed at the time. 

For all the centuries that all of them were on this earth, other than Nile, the four of them never had to deal with this roadblock or subject. It was never really something anyone would talk about, let alone try to fix. Andy, Joe, and Nicky never had to deal with it themselves, so it was no surprise that they were shocked.

"I didn't know it was a thing, Andy," Booker admitted, "None of us did all this time. All we did was fight and move onto the next place, and to be honest, I couldn't keep up with all of it," 

"We still could have helped," Andy tried again with him, but Booker shook his head.

"What would you have done to help, Andy?" Booker countered back, seeing Andy go quiet, "Be honest with yourself. It's not a hot topic for the kind of life we had and how we lived. It was worse for me when I was on my own in the past years, but I got a hold of it and tried to make it better for me," 

It was kind of nice for Booker to tell them about he was trying to help himself with his depression, maybe it felt like an imaginary boulder that was pressing over his chest for some time was slowly coming off to let him breathe and let him move about. His therapist talked about the imaginary boulder, how that when it would crush him on his chest it was his depression or anxiety would try to overcome him. Booker had to remember that expressing his feelings and exposing them was the best way to have the boulder be lifted up and away. He never spoke to anyone about his depression, not once, so this was making him feel anxious.

"But you were dealing with it all this time?" Nicky asked him, sounding a bit uncertain himself as Booker cracked his knuckles out of habit when he was nervous.

"Yeah," Booker replied, "I'm doing much better with it. It's like I said before, It was worse when I went off on my own at the beginning, and the guilt that I had from what….from what I did, it made it worse."

"Good riddance,"

All of the air went out of the room and all of the eyes went over to Joe. It came out of nowhere, and the way he said it with such venom in his voice that it made Booker freeze. This was the first time Joe ever said anything when they came to his home, and Booker could tell from the look on his face that he was holding in that anger that he had towards Booker, up until now apparently. Joe was looking at him dead in the eyes, his arms crossed in front of him defensively and that rage was so bad Booker could feel it on his skin

"Joe," Nicky said his name in a tone that was a mix of shock and utter disbelief at the same time. Joe wasn't looking at Nicky, he was still staring at Booker now as Andy faced Joe now almost defensively.

"Joe, you need to back off," Andy warned him, but Joe shook his head at her.

"I can't play nice with all of this shit when I'm still angry with him and what he did to Nicky and me," Joe explained to Andy, his face and voice still angry. Booker could almost feel that boulder weight that was about to come off completely go back over his chest, in which he wanted to stop it before it got worse. 

"I'm sorry for what I did, Joe," Booker tried to reason with Joe as calmly as he could, though he was still a bit uneasy in how this was unfolding so fast and quickly, "I've told you already and I wanted to move on from it,"

"I don't care how many times you say you're sorry or how you feel guilty, you made me enraged with all that bullshit!" Joe yelled at Booker, who was stone quiet now as Joe went on in a rant, "You didn't see Nicky dying over and over again did you?! No, you were too damn stubborn in wanting to kill yourself that you had to get Nicky killed. How selfish are you?!"

"Joe, that's enough!" Andy rose her voice at him as Booker was looking down and away. He was feeling something coming over him at such a fast pace, something he hasn't felt in such a long time that it was scaring him. His throat was closing up as he was trying to breathe, his vision was getting blurry from the tears that were about to come out, and his hands were starting to shake. 

"What the fuck, Joe!'

"I'm not going to let this slide by and pretend that nothing happened!"

"Joe, this is not the time or place for this! This is not why we came here!"

  
His breathing was shorter and raspy as was almost periling some kind of flashback to all of those moments at the very beginning, those haunting thoughts of not being enough and not doing enough. That guilt was slowly coming back and wrapping around him like the tightest blanket that wouldn't let him go or breath. The conversation that was going on without him was numbed out, Booker wasn't even listening anymore. He thought back to that moment in the bathtub at Paris, the gun pressed to his head and he was so close to pulling the trigger. He remembered hearing it in Joe's voice over and over.

He could never get away from it. He could never release the fact that he did what he did merely because he was selfish. He couldn't escape the looks fo betrayal from Nicky or Joe, or Andy for that matter. All of those hours of counseling and sessions were thrown out the window for Booker, and it felt like he was back at square one from what Joe said while they were strapped down together in the lab.

_Piece of Shit…._

_Piece of Shit...._

  
_Piece of Shit…._

  
"BOOKER!"

Booker fell to the ground, his breathing was so erratic that it sounded like he was crying. Tears were coming down heavily from his eyes and onto his shirt and the ground. He threw his hands over his mouth to try and stop the sobbing that was escaping his lips and he was curling into himself. The boulder that was in his head was now crushing him not just on his chest, but his stomach and throat to make it unbearable to draw breath. Nothing else was heard in the room, everyone went quiet. Booker couldn't breathe, and he was almost gagging on his tears as he felt someone kneel quickly to push his hair out of his eyes. 

"Booker…" It was Nile, sounding so shocked. Once she touched his arm though, he showed her away out of instinct as she then grabbed his hand a bit too hard, not letting him go, "You need to breathe, Booker. You're having a panic attack, you need to breathe in and out, got it?"

Breath, that's all he had to do. He could do that. Booker tried to breathe, but it came out as a choked sob as he inhaled. Niles' other hand was on his back, pressing her fingers onto his back gently as he tried again. it was a bit better, keeping his eyes shut and tried a third time. Those anxiety sensations he had before he fell to the ground in defeat were melting. Chère was trying to curl up against his leg, almost sensing that her owner was in distress. 

"Andy, get me a towel. Nicky a glass of water. Now!" Booker could hear movement in front of him as he was trying to breathe some more, Nile not leaving his side as she was still talking to him calmly and carefully, "You're doing so well, Booker. Keep breathing nice and deep as best you can, okay? Panic Attacks are the worst, trust me, but you'll be fine in a little while,"

That imaginary boulder that felt so crushing against his chest started to lift as his breaths were getting calming and stable by the minute. He could feel the pressure slipping away little by little, Nile still rubbing his back with her fingers and Chère snuggling against his leg like some kind of weight for him to channel towards. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, Booker took an even breath and was all done with his fit.

His eyes stayed shut, he couldn't bear to open them just yet as there was still no sound around him in the room. One of his hands reached over to touch Chère's fur, feeling her nests against it instantly and show him that she was there. It was almost like a security blanket for him, having something familiar and safe close by to bring him back from being in a dark place.

Nile still stayed at his side as she was wiping his face with a towel. Something else was bubbling up inside of Booker, something that he knew he needed to say to all four of them since they were in his space, a place where he felt safe and were still haunting him for a mistake that he regretted every day. If he was going to say it, even after something like this happening to him, he had to say it now.

"I think we need to take a breath and just…regroup," Andy started as Booker could hear her boots coming over to where he was. He then could feel her gentle hand on his knee, "Booker, what can we do to—"

"Don't touch me," Booker bit at her, her hand immediately moving away like he was fire and he burned her. Nile moved away too, Booker grumbling as he placed his hands underneath him and shoved himself up from his spot on the ground. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at the four of them. 

Both Nile and Andy looked so hurt from seeing me like this, not knowing what to do or what to say. Nicky was next to Joe, a hand on Joe's shoulder almost in a way for Booker to see he was trying to restrain Joe from his rant. Both Joe's anger melted away, a look of uneasiness on his face as Nicky looked like he was in pain from seeing Booker in such a manner. Booker took a long breath, seeing a singular glass of water on the end table next to him. He grabbed it, drinking the whole thing in one go before he held it in his hand and square himself off.

"I've had fifty years to live with what I did, fifty years." Booker said in a shaky tone as he was still riding some kind of high and anxiety from his panic attack and he now looked at Joe, "I know what I did and what it costs to both you and Nicky. I dreamt of it every night when I go to bed, I can't escape from it. If that's what you want from me, then fine! You won! Joe, I would take it all back if I could, I would take it back in a heartbeat if it meant that I didn't have to live with the guilt and shame that came with it. And you know what, Joe? I was coming to terms with it in the past decade or so, I was trying to get myself ready to at least show my face towards you when my 100 years was finished, but now that you're here…why are you even here in the first place?"

Booker paused to look at the group, seeing them all look a bit taken back from how he was speaking to them after suffering from a panic attack. He was never one to lash out at any of them, ever. Booker didn't mind stirring up the pot in the past just for something to do, but he hated arguments and fighting altogether. 

So this was new, and this was scary. 

"Why are you all really here? It's not to check up on me and you all know it!" Booker said in a low tone, almost wanting to shout at them. No one said a word as they were hearing Booker talk like this, a bit of venom in his voice now as he was looking at each of them, wanting an answer. His anger was now coming over, the anger that these four whom he considered family would come, unannounced, in the middle of his exile just to throw him off, and never understand what he went through just to convince himself he was doing fine. Andy was the one who finally spoke up.

"We wanted to see if you wanted to shorten your exile and come back with us,"

Booker's eyes shot over to Andy, seeing her watching him like he was a spooked horse. Booker's face contorted, almost in pain as he was eyeing her. Andy stayed still, looking a bit weary from how what was going on with him. Booker was shocked, almost stumbling back a bit now as he was reeling from what Andy just said.

They want him back? Already? 

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he said in a hoarse whisper. Andy looked a bit taken back at him, as did the others, "You want me back, now?! What, did you wait until I was halfway through to figure out that you made a bad choice?"

"We all thought about it long and hard with how we handled it, and how we made you handle it," Andy went on, almost stumbling a bit with her words since she wasn't expecting Booker to react in such a way, "You were right earlier: before we had Nile, none of us even talked about what you were going through and what you were feeling. She made us realize that maybe…that wasn't the best idea."

"No offense to Nile, but now you're concerned with what I was going through?" Booker bit back to her, Andy going quiet and her eyes a bit bigger now as Booker sighed and rang his fingers in his hair, "I get it, I didn't actually speak up about what I was feeling or harboring, why would I when it wasn't part of the deal on how you three lived for so long, centuries and centuries, and just…I don't know…gotten used to leaving you families behind. I didn't! I was mourning over my wife and my sons, inside I was screaming out for them. I didn't expect any of you to get it, and I did the worst thing I could just to have the sliver of a chance to be there with them in the afterlife, whatever that may be! And to think that I went in with the deal with Copley and Merrick to just have them only take me!"

"What?" Nile asked, looking at Booker now in shock as Booker looked at her, pain in his eyes. The others were beyond shocked as they heard the last part of the confession, Booker cringing as Nicky spoke up.

"What do you mean, Booker?" Nicky asked, his voice was so soft and quiet it was almost quivering as Booker took a long breath.

"I was supposed to be the only one who went under the knife," Booker muttered to them, looking back at the group now. Joe's face was no longer in anger or pain, but Booker could see the regret blossoming over his face, "Merrick switched the fucking deal at the very last minute without me knowing it or stopping it. And ever after we all left, when I tried to explain it to you all, I knew it was going to fall on deaf ears," 

"You don't know that," Nile urged, her voice was almost breaking as Booker shook his head, "We would have listened!"

"Trust me, kid, I know how those three work when it comes to drawing a conclusion," Booker spoke back in a rumble, "So, I was more than willing to just be on my own all this time and just try, try not to beat myself up for a mistake that I knew I did. 100 years seemed like a lifetime at first for me, alone in my thoughts and regrets,"

Booker paused and took a long inhale. He could feel his bones rattling as he did, his lungs expanding in tandem while he felt a bit better letting it all of his chest at that moment. He was supposed to feel better about telling them everything, but then again he was feeling just as bad if not worse. This was not how he was supposed to deal with this, talking to them all about what happened and how it went wrong. 

"Booker," Joe said his name quietly, such a contrast to show he yelled at him moments before. He looked like a different man, not filled with rage as he did before, but with a hint of guilt here too in how he handled it. Booker eyes him carefully and with uneasiness as Joe took a careful step towards him, "I'm so-"

"Save it, Joe," Booker said instantly, Joe looking shocked as his voice was lost while Booker took a step away from him "I don't want to hear anything from you right now," Now Joe was the one who looked almost hurt, his eyes darting away from Booker in regret from how he handled all of this. 

"Let us help you through this," Andy said to him such determination, walking over to step in front of Booker and have his attention on her. Booker could see she was just as affected in all of this as the others were, though Booker had no more strength in him to be in anger or rage, "Come back with us and we can help you out and make this all better for you,"

"No,"

Andy looked like she was stabbed in the heart from that one word. Booker looked at her dead in the eyes as she was giving him a shocked look. The same shocked look that she gave when he betrayed her and shot her in her side. 

"No?" Andy asked, stunned beyond belief. 

"I'm not going back with you," Booker replied calmly, "Clearly me going back with you is not going to fix what just happened right now. You gave me 100 years, and I plan to live the rest of it out with the small amount of pride I have left in me,"

"Booker, please," Nile asked, now looking just a grim with Booker's choice as she was trying to get his attention, "We understood what we did and how we dealt with it, it wasn't right! We want to make it up to you,"

"You're 49 years too late," Booker said in a grumbled as he walked away from Nile and Andy to give himself some space. Maybe a part of him craved to be angry with how he was reacting, how he was turning them away when they were giving him the chance to go back to them and try to start afresh with them. The old Booker would take it and run, trying to mask all that he was feeling and just be glad that they wanted him back in the first place. 

But Booker changed, the last fifty years showed him that. 

Booker knew what he did, and he accepted it with open arms. But his progress he was making and the knowledge that he could be fine on his own was enough for him to think otherwise. 

"I'm gotten a lot better on my own, surprisingly, " Booker explained to them, though his back was turned to them and he was watching the wall, "I know what I did, and I know I was selfish then. However, I can't start back from square one when I know not all of you want me back. I know what will happen if I do come back with you, I'll still feel the tension in the air, the judgment on your faces and in your voices. I've heard it before from you and I won't go through it again."

  
"Booker…" Nicky started, trying to talk to him. Booker shook his head.

"I don't want your pity," He said to all four of them, "Let me live out the rest of the 50 years as promised and get better for all of you, on my own. If I go back now it'll be salt on the wound, and I refuse to be your burden or someone you unleash your rage on or have pity on whenever you think I won't notice. I'd rather die than have pity from any of you,"

"We're not gonna pity you," Andy explained calmly, her voice was threatening to break and be in tears, "Please listen to us, to me! We want to make it up to you, we do. I need my friend back,"

Booker finally turned around to look at them. They were all silent, looking at him as if he broke their hearts and dumped them to rot on the ground. A small part of him was in pain from seeing that on their faces and in their eyes. The face that made it worse for Booker was Joe, who was looking at Booker with such sadness and despair that it made Booker see that his hand was clutching Nicky's hand in a death grip and shaking like a leaf. He never wanted them to be like this, never. Inside of Booker, however, a small voice was telling him to be brave and tell them everything and expose it all for them to see this side of Booker, the side he was afraid to show. 

"I'll come back in 50 years. I'll live out the rest of my exile in how I see fit, and then I'll return. With the progress I've made so far, I don't want to backtrack on it and go back into my depression," Booker calmly explained to Andy, although the others could hear him as he only stared at her and remained so neutral and calm that it was a bit scary, "If I go back with you now, I won't make it. I know I won't, even with your support. I know I won't be fully welcomed back, clearly from what just happened,"

"Booker," Joe tried again, his voice was a bit low now and almost mournful as he looked at Booker dead in the eyes, "I didn't mean to lash out like that, my brother. My anger got the best of me, and that wasn't fair to you. It was wrong of me, please forgive me,"

"How can you ask me to forgive you when you haven't even forgiven me yet, Joe?" Booker questioned him. Joe cringed, and Booker could see that he was telling the truth. Joe wasn't going to forgive him, even after seeing what happened and how he tipped Booker over the edge, Joe was still going to harbor ill feelings towards him. Booker understood, but Joe was never going to let it go. That in itself made Booker stay with his decision.

"I'll see you all in fifty years, as we agreed," Booker said in a low tone, "Now please….get out of my house,"

Booker walked away before they could even argue or say another word. He moved out of the living room and into the hallway that leads to his bedroom, the small pitter-patter of Chère on his heels as he stayed calm all the way to his bedroom that was on the other end of the cottage. That fear of having another panic attack was lingering in the back of his mind since he never thought he would talk to those four Immortals like that ever in his life. But he had to stand up for himself, and going through a surprise visit from them, hearing from them how they were wrong with what they did, Booker confessing that he was the one who was meant to die, and lastly the verbal lashing from Joe, he had enough. Although he wasn't close by, he could still hear them as he opened his bedroom door just a crack to slip through and go on his bed. Booker rested his head against the pillow as Chère tucked herself under his arm, pressing her weight on him and making him feel a bit at peace then. 

He heard Andy's boots being heavy on the hardwood floor as she walked to the front door. He heard Nile's soft sniffling and crying as she followed, not knowing what else to do. He heard Nicky's hushed voice in Italian talking to Joe in both worry and fear. Lastly, he heard Joe, a heavy sigh on his lip that almost sounded mournful. 

The front door opened and close with a soft click, having Booker breathe out and close his eyes.


	4. Year 55 - 75

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is showing the tail end of the exile, some new characters along the way, and a small amount of fluff. I have one more chapter after this, so be ready!
> 
> Also, I used the term "Half Breed" in this chapter, BE ADVISED. It's part of one singular dialogue and not used again, but I wanted to give you a fair amount of warning. If you have a comment about this or you wish to talk to me about it, email me at redheadclover9@gmail.com
> 
> I do apologize if it offends you, and although it is part of the story, I don't condone it.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and love!
> 
> Enjoy :)

**55 Years Into Exile**

After a few more years, he left that small cottage in New Zealand to go on a roundtrip across America, just for the sake of doing on because he's never done it himself.While he was driving along the winding roads, Booker had a small uneasiness settled in his heart from his last interaction with the others.Maybe he was being too bitter about it, too emotional to all of them and just venting out all that was bottled inside of him.But when he tried to tell himself that he shouldn't have done that, having plenty of inner dialogue with himself late at night before he fell asleep, it was always come down to him being in the right. 

Of course, he felt a bit bad that he placed them in that awkward position to know what was going on with him and his mental health.They weren't expecting that when they came to see him in his home, and Booker wasn't expecting them to come and try to end his exile a bit too early.That whole afternoon was too much for him, even when he was debating within himself if he made the right choice by sending them away so he could stay on his own for the last fifty years of his exile.

Yet, Booker was looking at the progress, not the setback.

He was seeing the world evolve from a new set of eyes, at least through a pair of eyes that weren't glazed over with alcohol like they were in the past.This time, he was watching things in such fascination and curiosity.New buildings in cities and towns that weren't there before, slicker and edgier cars that almost made Booker so tempted to get one for himself.Even technology was shifting in a whole new direction and, of course, Booker being a bit younger in Immortal years in comparison to the other three in the group, he was always well informed in computer sciences and anything electronic. 

He was enraptured with record players and getting records in the '60s, which lead him to buy an old but functional record player for his New Zealand Home and started building up a new collection, which included various artists.He also was fascinated with computers when they came out later on, almost being a bother to the others when he would go into the local libraries and play around with those massive machines to see what they could do.

It was just the same currently, if not elevated, because he was on his own, being the ever-curious soul as he turned in his old laptop for an upgraded model that new on the market and had a slicker design.Booker was also treating himself to some noise-canceling headphones that were connected to his phone via Bluetooth so he could listen to music as he worked.

If he was going to treat himself, he was going to do it right.

Nile called him a few days after they left this home, wanting to apologize to him in how they handled their visit with him.Booker had to throw her a bone, telling her it was fine and Booker was willing to handle the rest of his exile on his own.He knew she meant well, and the fact that she fought the others so hard into not just getting him back with them, but to get him help, made Booker see her in a new light and admire her. 

What felt worse for Booker was hearing Nile tell him how Joe was beating himself up for his reaction.Joe felt terrible for triggering Booker's panic attack, which in return made Booker feel a bit worse.The last thing he would ever want to do was to make Joe feel that way in that manner, all he wanted to do was voice what was going on in his life and how he was trying to move past what he did.The one ray of light in that whole confrontation with them was that they now knew what happened with Merrick and were accepting it.

How Booker was supposed to be the sole lamb to the slaughter, not the whole flock.

Copley was about to be in his nineties at this point, having some health issues himself when Booker took one last recon job out in Boston. Booker had a notion that it might be the last time he would speak to Copley, and although it was a bit bittersweet since Copley still kept him somewhat informed and in check with the others, Copley was also getting bone-tired of keeping the Immortals out of sight from the rest of the world. So this recon mission was going to be the last one from Copley, and Booker wanted it to go smooth just as a good send off to the old man. 

"You know how to make a man feel loved," Copley joked over the phone while Booker was driving in the small rental car along a deserted highway. Booker figured it was safer to drive instead of taking a plane, and since he was in his car for the last 5 days straight from driving around the farming states and seeing the sights, Booker needed a break. He needed to stretch his legs and get something in his stomach other than fast food or instant ramen. That last item was still morbid for Booker to wrap his head around, not to mention heavy in salt. It made him gag the first time he took a bite.

Once Booker did the job in Boston with little to hardly any resistance, he thanked Copley for all the jobs he gave him and for keeping him under the radar. Copley still felt a bit torn in how the Merrick incident went down, reassuring Booker that he too was on Booker's side with his decision. Booker told him he understood, and he sent Copley a generous bottle of wine as a thank you for his service to not just Booker but to the others.

Copley passed away at the age of 94. Booker sent flowers to his family anonymously for the funeral that was held in London.

Booker kept the cottage in New Zealand permanently his name, having that be his home base in case something were to happen, and he can go back to from time to time to recharge and reset.He placed his blood, sweat, and tears in those walls, floorboards, and the large windows.It was the one big sense of accomplishment that he ever had in his life as an Immortal that he did on his own, so he didn't have the heart to get rid of the cottage just yet.With the help of Copley before he passed away, he rented it out to international tourists for a bit throughout the major tourist seasons while Booker was away, thinking that it was better financially for Booker instead of leaving the cottage on its own and collecting dust.

The second leg of his exile, in Booker's mind, was both going to be fast and long at the same time. But he never grasped how it would change his life for the better.

* * *

**65 Years Into Exile**

"What can I get for you, sir?"

"Just water for now, please,"

"Of course.Let me know if you need anything else,"

Booker smiled at the nice waiter as she walked away, looking around at the bar he was in and noticing how packed it was getting.It was a typical Friday night, in a small blue-collar town out in the middle of nowhere in Montana was overran by local men who were getting a drink or two after a long day's work.Booker didn't mind it so much, since at this point there was no real true urge to get a drink in a place like this.

Booker was going his own recon jobs, thanks to having his laptop and the internet at his fingertips. He found himself as a gun for hire, almost the same thing he did with the others so long ago but now he was on his own. He would be hired to take out a drug warlord, a gang leader, even one or two crooked politicains and was being as anonymous as possible, getting in and out. It wasn't so bad once he got thehang of it, being able to be a ghost via the internet when he was hired and then being paid electronically when the job was done. 

So he was on his way to a job he was hired on at in Washing D.C., stopping in Montana.

The bar he was in was a bit shady, but that didn't phase him.He could hear The Eagles playing in the jukebox, faintly filling the room and setting the room.Booker's been in far dangerous places that were called "bars" but were seedy spots and holes in the walls.Bar fights, questionable drinks, and drug intakes weren't a big deal to Booker since he's seen it over a dozen times.But this bar, it wasn't too bad.

Not yet at least.

"Here you are," The waitress walked up with a glass of water and a small plate of lemon wedges for him.Booker smiled as she took out a pad and paper to take down his order.While Booker was placing his order, something out of the corner of his eye was catching his attention.On the other end of the walkway was the bar, a few patrons were there and having drinks.With one man, in particular, Booker could tell was a bit too drunk.He was slightly bigger, in comparison to Booker and his stature.He had a gut belly and a flushed face, his eyes were hidden behind his reddened face and beard as he was drinking a light beer as jolly as Santa Clause but also as lewd as a teenage boy. 

Booker thanked his lucky stars he was never that kind of a drunk.

"He's no one to be worried about, honey," The waitress reassured Booker, seeing where Booker was looking and whom he was staring at, "He's a local and comes to drink, very harmless,"

"I'm sure he is, ma'am," Booker replied kindly as the front doors opened with a jingle of a bell.Booker couldn't help but look, seeing someone walking into the restaurant and over to the far end of the bar with a calm collective look about the person

Specifically, a beautiful woman.

She wasn't young, maybe around Booker's age when he became an Immortal which was 42. The woman did look a bit younger though, only by a few years give or take.She was tall, almost as tall as Booker with a slight curvy shape in her hips and legs.Her hair was long and straight that came to her midback, midnight black and behind her shoulders, and her eyes had strength in them.She had tan skin, almost the same color tint of chestnuts, and her eyes were a dark brown that intense by sight and by looks.

Booker was trying not to stare too hard, but it was hard since he thought she looked beautiful.

Somehow, it reminded Booker, out of the blue and very briefly, of his late wife.This woman had a way about her, earring herself with just a simple walk into a room and not caring about what was going on around her.His late wife was the same way: zoning into what she was doing and not caring about what else was happening.That walk and look fo confidence, Booker admired his long lost love for that and was envious.This stranger was the same way, having Booker almost in a trance in how he was looking at her.

Where Booker was sitting in his booth, he was close to her as she sat on the stool of the bar on her own and away from a couple of men who were drinking near the front door.The way she sat on the stool and smiled softly at the bartender as he walked over signaled to Booker that she's been there before. Maybe a local, from the looks of it.

"Heya, Jade," The bartender said to her in a smile as he gave her his attention, "It's been a while since we've seen you in here.How's the farm doing?"

"Just the same as usual, Peter," Her voice was deep and soothing, reminds Booker of a babbling brook or rainfall on a rooftop.It almost sounded like velvet, smooth and deep.Booker slightly smiled as he looked down at his water cup, tracing the droplets of water from the outside of the glass.

"You want your usual I take it?" Peter asked.

"That would be great, please.And whatever the lonely guy behind me wants,"

Booker perked up, looking over and seeing the woman named Jade staring at him with a small smile on her face. He was taken back, showing no signs to her of his presence at all.Peter was off making her a drink as the woman was having a staredown with Booker.He was trying to lay low, but she caught him in his own solo mindset.Maybe she thought he was lonely, which would make sense, or that he was in trouble.Either way, Booker felt a bit flushed since he was placed on the spot.

"What would you like my friend?" Peter asked him, placing Jade's drink in front of her and resting his hands on the bar surface.Booker flushed and cleared his throat.

"Nothing for me tonight," He explained, Jade raising her eyebrow at him, "Thank you, though,"

"Are you sure?" She asked him, finally facing Booker and talking to him as Booker wishing more than anything he would sink into the shadows of his seat and hide in the dark, "Most guys around here wouldn't pass up on a free drink, even if it is dirt cheap compared to other bars around here,"

"Hey!" Peter said in a grin, Jade winking at Peter before looking back at Booker.

"I quit drinking some time ago," Booker explained calmly, a look of realization on her face as he went on, "I don't want to back paddle,"

Jade said nothing for a moment, then nodded her head.She grabbed her drink and held it in her hand, giving Booker a knowing smile.

"Sorry about that," She apologized, Booker shrugged it off.

"It's fine," Booker said lightly, "It doesn't phase me as much,"

"Well, then will it be alright if I join you?" Jade asked.Booker, being stunned for a moment or two, nodded his head in silence and a small grin as she smiled widely.That smile alone made Booker feel a small burst of warmth in his chest as she hopped down from the stool with her drink in hand, walking the few steps over to his booth and sliding in on the otherwise with ease.Booker felt a bit tense, seeing her now in his space of sort and taking a small drink from her glass. 

"I'm Jade," She said, holding out her hand politely, "I was raised to be polite and proper. Well, when I want to be,"

Booker grinned as he shook her hand gently, "I'm Sebastian.A pleasure to meet you, Jade."

"Likewise.You're not from around here, are you?" Jade asked as she pulled her hand away, seeming curious with him.

"No, I'm traveling through," He answered, "I wanted to do some sightseeing of America before I go back to Europe,"

"I don't want to sound rude, but you sound French," Jade commented, leaning back in the booth seat he was sitting in.

"That I am," Booker replied.

"My grandmother was French," Jade explained, "I loved hearing her accent all the time when I was little.I thought the French were always so prim and proper, but then again that was just her,"

"Some of us are like that," Booker agreed, "Not all of us, but a fair few,"

Jade nodded, looking at his glass of water in his hand and motioning with her head, "How long have you stayed off the wagon for, Sebastian?"

Booker cocked his head at her, almost taken back, "That's a bit forward, don't you think?"

"I'm a forward person," Jade replied with no hesitation and a shrug of her shoulders, "It's gotten me in trouble as a teenager, go figure.But I realized that if you want to get to know someone, being forward is the best way to know if that friend will stay or friend, or run."

"Really?" Booker asked, almost in a challenging tone as he drank some of his water.

"My father taught me that.He didn't think beating around the bush and playing nice to your enemies or foes was the best way to live," Jade explained, pausing for a moment or two, "You tend to have a different mindset of people around you when you grow up on on a reservation like I did,"

"I see," Booker replied, and he could almost see that hardened shell around her as he shifted in his seat, "Well, I've been sober for about 10 years now, completely alcohol-free,"

"That's good," Jade said in a small smile, "It's hard to get sober.My uncle had to do that when I was younger, so I saw it all.Not to mention brave for coming into a bar that has a bunch of men drinking.Brave or stupid, I'm not sure yet,"

"Me neither," Booker replied as he smiled back, "I'm immune to it now, so it doesn't really phase me to be around alcohol,"

"If only that could be the case for a lot of people who are struggling," Jade said in a hum as Booker nodded in agreement.He then looked over at Peter, who was talking to some of the men on the other end of the bar, "I take it you live around here since you know the bartender?"

"Oh, Pete?We grew up as neighbors, even went to the same high school," Jade explained, "We both grew up in this town, just like 95% of the people here. It's not a bad place to live at when you're a kid, but the novelty wears off when you grow up,"

"I couldn't help but overhear that you have a farm?" Booker asked.

"Yeah, we had a small farm near the reservation where I grew up at.My dad grows wheat and sweet cherries, some of the best out here. I help him out with the daily stuff and upkeep since he's getting a little bit older," Jade explained as she took another small drink from her cup.Booker could see out of the corner of his eye the man who he noticed earlier seeming a bit agitated by something.He was moving around a bit too sharply, almost falling off his stool then getting into an argument with one of the other patrons.Booker was a bit worried, but he kept his eyes on Jade.

"So," Jade said to him as he got his focus back on her just to be polite and kind, "You're traveling through America to see the sights, apparently on your own, and not one ounce of alcohol in you.I gotta say, you are very interesting,"

"What makes you say that?" Booker asked, almost amused but curious.Jade just tilted her head at him and shrugged, a look of intrigue on her face like she was reading him from her spot in the booth.If anyone else would look at Booker like that, he would be intimidated or afraid.But with Jade, a mere stranger whom he met minutes ago, he was intimidated but also felt safe in her presence too.Like he wasn't going to be exposed. 

"I have an intuition about things," Jade explained, "Then again, I tend to go back to what my grandmother would say when certain things happen at certain times.Something tells me that you were meant to find yourself here in this bar, drinking that cold glass fo water with a lemon wedge, and having a conversation with me,"

"You think so?" Booker questioned, almost being a bit skeptical.Jade was still cool and collective, not even flinching or cracking.It almost gave Booker a sensation of deja vu, almost like he felt this before.The thought of being in the right place at the right time.Maybe it was different in how Jade was saying it, claiming that he was meant to be in this very spot at that very moment.

"Do you believe in destiny, Sebastian?"

Booker had a flashback to Nicky, just like before, when they were hiding away and explaining to Nile what it meant to be an Immortal.Booker was skeptical about destiny, he always was. He never thought of destiny as a blessing, just a curse. 

Was it destiny that drove him to be killed when he deserted the army?Was it destiny that made him an Immortal, which later made him loose his late wife and three sons?Was it destiny turned him into an alcoholic, going through the paces with the group and just swallowing every nightmare, every tear, and every agonizing pain that ripped through him. 

But maybe, given his exile and Booker having plenty of time on his hands, perhaps destiny wasn't so bad after all.If destiny was really at plays, then it was destiny that gave him the strength to reach out for help. It was destiny that brought cats into Booker's life, as silly as it sounded.It was destiny that made him feel that inner strength he never thought he had because of the times he pushed it down in his shame and guilt.

So maybe destiny was part of his life in the end.

"Not for a long time," Booker replied, a small smile on his lips as he seemed more at ease with the subject, "Destiny never really treated me best in the past, but I had a change of heart about it,"

"Is it the same now?" Jade asked, Booker could tell she didn't want to push it too hard with him and was just trying to have a casual conversation.But Booker could see some sort of a flicker in her gaze, a lingering gaze that made his stomach turn in the best way.Once again, he never felt this way about someone else apart from his late wife, and although she was long gone as well as his sons, maybe this was part of Destiny as well: meeting Jade.

Was Jade part of his destiny?

The sound of glass shattering broke that small tension and bubble they were in, both Jade and Booker looked over to see what was happening. The belligerent drunk that Booker was watching since he arrived threw a glass on the ground, looking behind angry at Pete now as he was potion a fat finger at him.

"I said, get me another!" He slurred to Peter, being wobbly already on his stool as the other patrons moved away from him and Peter glared at him from the other side of the barter.

"And I told you no, Earl.You're beyond drunk and I know you don't live close by," Peter explained to him calmly with a hint of authority, "Sam is more than willing to get you a ride home, but I'm not giving you anything else tonight,"

"I won't be taking orders from a little pipsqueak like you who's only job is to serve me and my hard-working ass!" Earl snarled at him.

"And My job is to make sure you don't drunk enough to kill someone on the highway," Peter replied cooly, "If you're gonna act like that, I can call the cops and have them take you to jail to sleep it off,"

"I want you to try, you piece of shit,"Earl growled at him, another one of the patrons walked over to him to try and calm him down as Booker felt a small twinge of fear going down his spine.Those three words, as much as he tried to deny it, felt like a trigger for him.He felt it once when he was strapped down in Merrick's lab, hearing it from Joe once they learned what he did and what they assumed he was doing.it was like a cold dagger stabbing him right in the heart.

The second time it was when the group came to his home in New Zealand, seeing all of them in front of Booker and bringing out those old wounds and demons. Booker had that panic attack some over him from the blast of anger towards him, thank again to Joe and his need to unleash his anger on Booker.Ever before Booker explained his true intention to that he wanted, Joe was still angry with him. 

Why it was still affecting him now was a mystery.

"Goddamnit," Jade muttered as she shotgunned the rest of her drink before she looked at Booker, "Excuse me,"

"What?" Booker asked, seeing Jade get up from the booth and walked over to Earl as he was slowly getting more and more agitated with not just Peter but with the second patron that was trying to calm him down.Booker had a sense of fear go through him fast, seeing her stalk over to the confrontation and her boots going over the shattered glass with ease.Her confidence was striking and evident, but that small need to defend her was there lingering in Booker.It was odd, but he wasn't ignoring it.

"Earl," Jade said to the drunk, Booker watching as Earl moved his head over and stared as Jade while she approached him with her hands on her hips, "Isn't it a bit too early in the evening for you to be stirring up trouble, especially in the one bar that will let you in,"

"Fuck off, Jade.I'm not talking to you," Earl huffed at her as she just cocked her head.

"That's not very nice," She advised him, "Especially since you know very well that I can throw you out of this bar with one hand behind my back, can't I?"

"Jade, it's fine," Peter reassured her from his spot as Booker was slowly getting up from the booth and keeping his eyes on the conversation.Maybe this could from bad to worse, or even on the opposite end of it too with Jade diffusing it before it would blossom out into a brawl.Either way, Booker was more than willing to intervene on her behalf.

"Clearly it's not when he's breaking your glasses and talking to you like that, " Jade reasoned Peter before she turned back to Earl, "Now, I don't want to ask you again before I make you look foolish and pathetic in front of these men in here.Take a breath and go outside to breathe in the fresh air and clear your brain,"

"I'm not gonna listen to you, you bitch!" Early snarled, Booker finding himself walking over to the group before he could stop himself.He was never one to have someone speak ill at a female, ever.It wasn't a trigger, but it was something else inside of him needing to not have this man do that to Jade.He barely knew her, only talked to her for about 5 minutes, but he could feel that she was no ordinary woman.

"Excuse me," Booker finally used his voice as he stood next to Jade as eyed the drunk.Earl was watching him too, clearly agitated in how Booker was asserting himself in the situation.Peter and Jade looked at him in a bit of shock as Booker stared at the drunk, "I think you should calm down, my friend,"

"I ain't your friend, and I don't want someone like you to tell me what to do," Early said to him, his speech was getting angrier and even more slurred as he spoke to Booker.

"No, you're not my friend," Booker agreed, "But I don't like seeing a man such as yourself talk to a woman so cruelly,"

"Well, she needs to get off my ass," He barked back at Booker, "I don't need to listen to a half breed,"

Booker didn't see it coming, nor did anyone else around him think it was going to come through, but Jade's fist landed right across his nose and he toppled to the floor like a sack of flour. 

It was a bone-crushing sound, first with Jade's fist hitting his nose and breaking it, then his body falling to the ground.Everyone around her took a step back and Booker looked in amazement at the sight of the drunk being out cold.Booker then slowly looked over at Jade, her fist was at her side now with a tint of red against her knuckles and her arm was shaking.Jade's face was showing a small amount of rage, Booker could even feel it in how she was standing over his body as if she was waiting for him to get up so she could hit him again.

"Are you alright?" Booker asked her finally, seeing her slowly look over at him. The rage was still in her eyes, Booker could see it, but once they looked eyes, Booker could see that pain and rage slowly melting away.She nodded, taking in a long breath before Peter spoke up.

"I'll call Henry down at the station to have him take Earl to the tank for the night, Jade," Peter reassured her as he went to grab the phone.

"I should...I should tell them I hit him," Jade said in a low tone, reaching over with her other hand to rub her knuckles that seemed bit tender from her punch.

"I doubt they're gonna care, Jade," Another patron said in a soft smile, "Earl has been on edge for the last week and what he said to you was the last straw.You're fine,"

"How about we get you some ice for your hand and I walk you to your car," Booker suggested to her, seeing him look over at him and see him hold out his hand to her.Of course, he did have a sense of what it was like to have instant regret from a single action.Booker had to live with it for a long time, and although it was not the same as what Jade just did, that instant regret that followed was familiar to him.Although they barely met hear other, he wanted her to know that what she did was right, in a sense. 

* * *

"Thank you," Jade said to him as they both walked out of the bar, the dry road underneath their feet as she was leading him over to her off white pick up truck that was parked away from the other cars. 

"It's no problem," Booker reassured her as he looked down at her hand that was cradled against her chest.It now had a towel filled with ice against her knuckles and fingers, "How's your hand,"

"It's fine," She replied as she looked down at her hand to check up on it, "I've fought with worse guys than him.Besides, I've known him for awhile and I know his wife, she'll be more than willing with me giving him a good shiner from his attitude,"

Booker said to chuckle as they made it to her truck.Booker saw her fish out her keys from her jacket pocket after she placed the towel with ice inside on the truck as the sound of a lone wolf far away was echoing through the area.Booker instantly noticed that it was deafly quiet out there in the darkness, the night scattered with stars and a bright crescent moon hanging over the mountains that were far to the north. 

"What he called you back there was beyond cruel," Booker said to her, keeping his voice in check since he too was mad from what Earl said to her.He's heard plenty of things in the past from all walks of life, and he could see the privilege behind those words when they were said either at mere strangers or at people in his life,It made Booker a bit more bitter at the world around him since he could see how the word was becoming cruel to its own inhabitants. 

"I've been called worse," She explained to him calmly, moving her fingers around a bit as she sounded so calm, "But, thank you though.I do appreciate it.Sometimes I forget there are people outside this town that are decent,"

"I understand that," Booker hummed in agreement.

"Especially handsome ones," Jade said casually, though Booker caught onto that comment and looked at her with a small blush on his cheeks.There was something about Jade that caught Booker and made him see her in such a light manner that it was a bit scary.She was confident, kind, and forward all at the same time, seeming to be able to carry herself in any situation, though she was still poised at the same time. 

"The fact that you find me handsome after you just met is surprising," Booker explained, though she was looking at him questionably.

"I don't," She replied lightly, "With your chivalry and your openness, I think your handsomeness showed,"

Booker was at a lot for words.There was never a real moment that he had someone say those kinds of words to him, not for a long time really.His late wife would always tell him he was a good husband and father in their family, he had a kind soul and heart.It's been far too long and his heart went through far too much to be willing to have kindness be shown to him again.Booker almost wanted to cry, but then again he tried to keep it together for the sake of standing in front of her.

"Listen," Jade finally said, almost seeming a bit flushed herself as she looked at him in the eyes and having Booker see a small twinkle of the stars in her eyes, "Are you in a rush to get out of town?"

Booker never said, "No." So fast in his life with a big grin on his face.

* * *

**70 Years into Exile**

Booker never found herself this genuinely happy in his life as he walked along a gravel path, a massive what field on his right and the sun slowly going down on over the mountain tops that were near the house.His house.

His house that he shared with Jade.

Once Jade invited him to stay with him for the night after that incident in the bar, Booker never looked back. He called the employer who hired him to tell them he would finish the job he already promised but he would then return to Montana right after, he didn't want to think too far ahead with what was blossoming with Jade. Maybe it wouldn't last, that was on his mind as he told Jade he would come back through after he finished a job he already signed off on.

"What kind of job is it?" Jade asked the morning after, seeing him pack his car up again as he flushed out a split second, wrapping his jacket a bit tighter around since it was crispy in the air.Booker never really had to explain what his job was, not at all.It was always a secret, some kind of cover-up because no one would want to be friends with a mercenary.So, Booker had to tell a small white lie.

"Private security. But I'm quitting after this."

He went back to Montana after his gun for hire job in Washington D.C. and back to Jade's farm, even volunteering to help Jade and her father on their farm.It was one of the bigger farms that were located in the outskirt of town and had massive fields of wheat and sweet cherries, and a smaller barn that had plenty of animals to tend to. 

His love and affection for Jade grew over the months as found himself a semi-permanent resident in town.Jade had some kind of pull towards him with every passing day, whether it was in the way they talked together for long hours, or how they would help each other out in the fields when it came to harvesting the cherries or making room for more food.Booker wanted it to happen naturally, fearing that if he rushed it or giving it too much pressure, it would blow up in his face.Booker couldn't help but fear for the worst, thinking that if he was going to be beyond happy that something was going to come through and de-rail. 

Jade was good to him.She showed him the ways of the farm after he was hired by her father.Booker felt intimidated by meeting her father, a stoic man named Nathaniel who was gentle in tone but had plenty of history behind him.Booker shook his head, had proper manners around the kitchen table as they spoke to one another over ice tea. 

Booker could see where Jade got a lot of her traits from her father, his eyes were just as serious and light like Jade's eyes and his mannerisms went from him to Jade as well.After Nathaniel shook his hand and thanked him for coming to his daughter's aid, though he joked she was a grown woman and never needed someone to save her, he hired Booker on as a farmhand.

"It's not the best pay though.And there's not a lot of farmhands around here are at your age, no offense." His father explained as they stood together on the back porch that overlooked the wheat field, Booker noticing the golden rows of grain swaying in the wind.Booker shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets

"None taken," Booker replied with a small smile, "I need a change of pace in my life,"

So, Booker worked and stayed on the farm for the first two years with his head down and his soul at another reset. It was good solid work, helping plants seeds and watching them come into bloom before harvesting and starting all over again. Booker even had a knack in helping with the farm animals. He would feed the pigs and goats, help shave the wool off the sheep, and tend to the horses that they had, even riding the horses while he was herding the sheep along the plains. One animal, in particular, made him crack up in laughter as Jade took him by the hand and showed him. 

A litter of cats was born.

"You don't like cats?" Jade asked as she saw his reaction to seeing the little creatures sleeping next to their mother. Booker laughed a full belly laugh, shaking his head at her.

"They've been nothing but a blessing in my life when I've had low moments," Booker explained, leaving it at that since he doubted she would think of cats being linked to destiny.

They had a small room tucked away on the first floor for him to have as his own, Booker reassured them that he didn't need much but a bed.He was more than grateful that they would let him stay in her home. They also had local farmhands that lived at their own homes in town, younger men who were barely home from college and needed a summer job. They would joke with Booker while they were doing their chores, calling him Old Man Book as he would haul hay over to the horses with little to no resistance. Booker knew they meant well, and they did. Those boys had no care of worries in the world, just a need to have some spare money in their pockets and a wicked tan. Booker was the only permanent farmhand on the land, which he didn't seem to mind.He would help wherever and whenever he could, Jade needing to remind him from time to time to rest when he was working extra hard.

As the years went by Booker found himself in love with Jade.And she loved him back.

Booker could tell she wasn't one to take things lightly when it came to a relationship, and he couldn't blame her.She was a widow herself, which Booker could relate to since he was technically a widow after his wife passed.Jade's late husband died very young and abruptly.Jade at the time was in her younger twenties, her husband was the same age as her when he was involved in a fatal shooting.He was in the line of fire when robbers were attempting to rob a bank and he tried to intervene.Jade was heartbroken, seeing that future with her husband and the possibility of starting a family slipping away.It was worse later on down the road for her when she found out through a doctor's appointment that she was unable to have children on her own.

Jade was devastated, but she stayed on her family's farm and helped run it.After her mother passed away a few years back, Jade stepped up in helping her father with the farm since he was getting older.To some of the reservation community that she grew up in as an infant, it was a backlash that Jade had to be in charge of the farm, let alone being unmarried at her age. 

They were already facing some backlash because of her mother being a Native American from the reservation and her father was a stranger to them.Jade never paid them any mind, her mother and father loved her dearly and they loved each other just as much. When she was almost a teenager they started their farm together, away from the reservation and prying eyes and they had their own small bubble of happiness.

"You would have loved my mother," Jade explained to Booker as they were laying out on a pinch blanket near the house watching the clouds roll by on a clear autumn day while Booker was watching her with fascination and love in her eyes, "She was an angel, to me she was at least.She didn't care what the others in her old tribe thought of her marrying my father, she only loved him for his heart."

"I can see that in you," Booker agreed to her, reaching over to move some of her freshly cut black hair off her shoulder with his fingers.

"If there's one thing she taught me, it's to love people for their hearts," Jade said softly and with affection, then moving her head over to stare at Booker and search his eyes, "And your heart made me fall in love with you, Sebastian."

Booker leaned over and kissed her soundly, his heart fixing itself from being broken to being full.

* * *

Two years after he started working on the farm and was romantically involved with Jade,another discovery came into his life as he was washing some of the produce they got from the farmers market.He was in the kitchen and the warmth of the summer was seeping into the farmhouse, the kitchen sink filled with water, and strawberries were soaking in the sink as Booker was trimming the leaves with a small knife.Jade was folding their laundry in the living room after they were hung outside on the clothesline.His father-in-law was in town, running a few errands, and left them in charge of the house while he was away for a few hours. 

Booker wasn't paying attention when he knew he should have when he sliced his finger hard along he blade, squinting and yelling out in pain.The knife fell into the sink as Booker grasped his injured finger and tried to avoid getting it in the water, reaching for a dish towel that was close by.

"Honey?You okay?" Jade asked and called from the living room, walking into the kitchen and seeing Booker hunched over his finger, "What happened?!"

"I cut myself, sweetheart.Don't worry about it," Booker replied, not even looking down at the dish towel and seeing how Jade was looking at the crimson blood blossoming on the dishtowel material. Booker had to be careful with Jade with his Immortality and exposing her to it.He was already in hot water for dating her since he knew at any moment, Jade would sense something was off with him. 

She would see later on down the line that he wasn't aging or getting sick like anyone else, or that any small scrape or wound would be healed instantly.But of course, this was his fault in not paying attention and now his secret was going to be exposed within seconds to his girlfriend, someone whom he would die for and care for far more than himself. 

"Let me see," Jade said to him as she went to get a second towel.Booker shook his head, holding his injured hand that was wrapped in his near blood-soaked towel to his chest, "Honey, it's fine.I just want to see it,"

"There's nothing to see—" Booker tried to explain as he moved the bloody towel away from his hand to look himself.His breath was lost, eyes gong wide and his knees were about to give out as he finally felt like he wanted to cry.That sense of dread that the carried for centuries, the agonizing pain that he was harboring, and was thinking he could never escape from flew out the window with the breeze as he had tears in his eyes and a small smile on his lips.

He wasn't healing….he wasn't healing....

That meant, this was real and it was happening...

Booker was mortal.

Booker wanted to jump up and down in joy, he wanted to scream out and release all of that sadness and pain that was bottled up for long to let it be released into the void.His small wound brought him pure happiness now, beyond happiness since this was all he wanted.He wanted a chance to live out the rest of his life, to grow old and feel the ache and pain of his body getting older.He wanted to be released from the ghosts that were plaguing from because of all of the past souls he watched leave him.All over slicing strawberries.

"Oh my god!Give me your hand!" Jade was wrapping his hand in a clean towel as placing pressure on top of his finger, looking at Booker with shock as he was crying.Although there were tears, a grin was on his face, "Seb, are you okay?!"

Booker looked at her with a new set of eyes.It was almost like everything was now in Technicolor for the first time.Perhaps it was the same way Dorothy felt when she landed in Oz and seeing color for the first time, Booker was feeling just the same as he shook his head.

"I've never been better."

* * *

"How's your finger, sweetie?"

Booker raised his finger, seeing at least 6 stitches in his pointer finger as he was sitting in the doctor's office at the local hospital.After snapping out of his awkward moment of joy and was starting to feel a bit woozy from the blood loss, Jade drove them to the doctor's office.It was a long deep cut along the side of his pointer finger, not too deep to see the bone but deep enough that he needed stitches.He was tough through it, Jade holding his hand and rubbing his arm as every stitch went in.After the short surgery was over, Jade and Booker sat together in the room still, the doctor drawing up the paperwork as Booker sighed in relief.

"It'll be fine," Booker replied in a sigh, looking up at the ceiling and grinning from ear to ear.Jade had to chuckle as she was watching him, absentmindedly running her fingers into his hair and leaning against the chair next to him with her head cocked to the side.

"For someone who got 6 stitches from a nasty cut to the finger and is happy about it, I'm a little bit concerned," Jade said to him as he looked over at her with the softest smile on his lip.In his mind, he was already thinking of the possibilities that were opening up for him now that his clock was now moving, no longer standing still or freezing.He was going to age every day, he was going to get gray hairs, wrinkled skin, and slower in his step.But Booker did not need to be hesitant about it, he was ready for it and more.

"Would you want to marry me?" Booker asked, Jade giving him a shocked look.

"Are you proposing in a doctor's office, while on painkillers, with a busted finger?" She asked him, her voice was light and still a bit shocked. Booker nodded his head.This was going to be the first major step he was going to take in his now mortal life.He already thought about how he was going to love Jade in his Immortality, and it was going to break his heart to break hers down the road.Not anymore, now he was beyond ready to take on the rest of this life with her next to him.

All Jade could do at that moment was grin from ear to ear, a lightness was now around her making it looked like she had a halo.Either that or the fluorescent light did the trick above them.Either way, Booker didn't want to part from her from that day on.

"This will be a great story to tell when we get older," Jade said in a chuckled as she leaned over to plant a waiting kiss on his lips.Booker kissed back instantly, realizing this was the first day of the rest of his mortal life.

He was beyond ready.

* * *

Booker and Jade got married nine months later at the local courthouse, her father and some of the locals that they both called friends were in attendance.Neither one of them wanted a massive wedding, they both figured it wasn't necessary since they were in their early forties and it seemed like a waste of money.Jade wore a simple white summer dress with her hair in braids, some feathers laced in the braids and a flower crown was worn, along with a handful of lavender and sunflowers as a bouquet.Booker thought of her as an angel as they kissed in front of the judge and their friends. For their honeymoon, they went to the cottage in New Zealand for a solid month, not wanting to be away from the farm for longer than that since they still wanted to help run it.

Booker forgot what it was like to be in a new married relationship.Although he missed his late wife from so long ago, he knew his she would want him to move on to be happy.He was trying his best, Jade knew that since he was a widow like her. Jade was patient with him, showing him with love whenever she could, and he did the same.  He always woke up in the morning and watched her sleep for a few long minutes before she would wake, counting his lucky stars that she came into his life. He loved the color of her hair when the sunbeams would shine through, the way she wrinkled her nose to chase the deep sleep, and how her eyelashes dances across her cheeks with elegance.

She was, in fact, the best sign from destiny.

He would bring her flowers in the springtime when they were ripped in bloom, he would harvest her favorite batch of cherries after they were taken from the trees in the summer, and would hold her close when he knew she was haunted by her past once or twice with a nightmare or two.Jade did the same for him, taking him apple picking in the fall since it was so popular in their area and kept their house consistently warm in the winter with a fire in the fireplace and plenty of blankets to be wrapped into, knowing to a point that he had a traumatic moment in his younger life that involved the cold. But he felt a sense of safety with Jade, no worries or cares that someone was going to come out and haunt him of his past sins and woes.   
  


No, he was truly happy where he was, and he wasn't going to trade it. 

* * *

**75 Years Into Exile**

One winter night when he was snuggled with Jade on their couch, a warm fire in the fireplace roaring as they were watching the local news. Jade threw a blanket over both of them to get a pinch warmer since it was one of the colder nights in the area. Snow was softly falling outside, one of the black kittens that they kept after selling the rest of the litter perched itself in their laps and was sound asleep. Jade was scratching its black head with her fingers, her wedding ring glistening in the firelight. It was delicate ring, rose gold and a simple diamond in the middle.

Booker watched her absentmindedly, not paying attention to the news on the TV as he took briefly looked at his own wedding ring. His was a silver band, he wanted it to be different from his first wedding ring that was brass. Both Jade and Booker still had their rings from their first marriages, tucked away but not completely forgotten.

But then Booker was looking at the thin scar on his finger, remembering that summer day so clearly in his mind.He would look at it from time to time, reminding himself that it was no dream that he was now mortal, that it was no sick joke.He grinned seeing the scar, although he tried not to show it as much in public since he would look crazy. 

"So much hate in the world," He looked up to see a story on the news about a civil war breaking out inIraq, Jade sounding remorseful as she leaned into Booker's embrace a bit more and rested her head on his chest, "I wish there was a way to fix it or have someone fix it,"

"I bet you there are some people out there in that war zone that are going to help," Booker reassured her with a kiss pressed into her raven hair.He did think of the four Immortals that were still out there in the world, trying to do some good work. Perhaps they were already here in Iraq, helping those who were hurt or in fact killing of off the villains. Booker had a hunch that they were there. 

A slim part of him missed it.

He did think every once in a while that he should reach out and tell them what happened and what was going to be his fate.But something was holding him back and telling him to stay quiet, to have this moment with his new wife and have this peace that he always wanted and yearned for.He knew they would be happy for him, and maybe he could reach out to them soon.

But not yet.

"You think so?" Jade asked, Booker nodded his head against hers as they watched the news.

"I know so, my love."


	5. 100 Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we reach the end of the line in this story as they hit the 100 year mark! 
> 
> (On a smaller note, I forgot COMPLETELY about Copley and giving him a timeline in his own mortal life. I do apologize and I fixed it in Chapter 4!)
> 
> Reading all of your comments drove me to finish this story and it brought me happiness! I can't thank you enough!
> 
> Enjoy :)

Things have changed dramatically in the past 100 years for the Old Guard as they kept moving and exploring. The fear of being discovered and exposed was never too far away, technology was so far in advance that the Old Guard had no choice but to adapt as best as they could. Cameras in Phone were instantly handy, security cameras took pictures every second, even warfare and politics were wrapped in technology. In the end, The Old Guard had no other choice but to hold on for dear life and let this new wave of life come through.

They did their best, with the help of Copley of course, up until his death. After he passed away, they are on their own when it came to being out of the public eye and trying not to be seen. Nile got a small tutorial with him since she was the most tech-savvy, grasping the basics with not only erasing pictures of themselves from the public eye but also looking out for local news and intelligence for them to help in when they could.

They still helped in the more rural countries and isolated areas that needed assistance, even getting themselves involved with one war that sprouted in recent years. It was all routine, and as much as they felt successful everywhere they went, that lingering thought of something missing in their group was still there.

  
More like someone. 

* * *

  
**90 Years Into Exile**

  
Quynh showed up on their doorstep in their safe house in Switzerland, Andy opening the door with a gun at the ready since their cabin was isolated and away from anyone within a 10-mile radius. Andy broke down in tears, seeing her long lost love in front of her looking the same as she did when they were separated. Nile had so many questions for her, mostly wondering how she never knew where Quynh was in her dreams and they could never find her. 

"I didn't want to be found just yet," Quynh explained, all five of them were sitting together after hugs and pleasantries were given, "I was constantly on the move, never staying in one place for more than one night. If Andy could, she could find me within hours," Andy smiled fondly as she wrapped an arm around Quynh's shoulders, Quynh gently easing into the embrace as her face was looking a bit more solemn.

"I know that was selfish on my part, but I needed to be on my own before I was brave enough to come back to all of you. I lost so much time with you all, not fighting alongside you and going on this journey with you. Nicolò told us once that it was destiny that we were all together in this life, and it took me some alone in my thoughts to believe it." Quynh explained to the group.

The others couldn't help but look at each other with a small twinge of grief amongst them, knowing that there was at least one other that was missing. His absence was deafening now, no longer as a burden or something that they were willing to ignore, but as something that they were missing. Quynh could see it on their faces, a small smile on her lips as she took Andy's hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing it gently.

"I miss him too,"

To make things tenser amongst the five of them now, Quynh admitted that she kept tabs on him throughout the years of his exile. The others were shocked at why she didn't say anything to them sooner and kept it to herself.

Quynh simply replied, "That was amongst you all, not with me. If it were up to me, he would have stayed," 

Quynh watched from a distance when he was Toronto, later on when he was in New Zealand building his cottage with a hint of pride on his face, and later on in America. After they met up right after he was exiled and laying low in Paris, she merely told Booker she would watch from afar in case he needed her. But he never did, he was fine on his own and learning on his own. It wasn't that the others were entirely surprised hearing that he was surviving, they couldn't help but the surprised to learn that he was enjoying it.

That, in return, showed them a change in the tides with Booker.

They had 10 more years until they could reunite with Booker, 10 more years to wait patiently since he was the one who told them to leave him be for the remainder of the exile. The four of them can remember so precisely when they went to see him in New Zealand, hoping for a pleasant conversation and perhaps trying to convince him to cut his exile short.

None of them expected the meeting to so south so fast and so harshly, leading Booker to ask them to leave.

Ever since then, the uncertainty was always hung in the air. Joe had a dark cloud over himself in how he acted towards Booker, in Booker's own home. Joe felt grief, never really seeing past the hate and anger he had towards Booker to see what was truly going on with him. He felt ashamed, not seeing it the signs of Booker struggling before all of this happened. 

Of course, Booker knew what he did and he apologized, he tried again with Joe and the others at their mini-reunion. Yet Joe was stubborn, he was still stuck within that anger that was festering inside of him. He kept thinking back to Nicky and seeing him on the table, strapped down and dying over and over again. All he could think about was how Booker would do that to them all, with no care of worry and just thinking about himself.

When Joe found out the real reason why, he was heartbroken in how he acted.

Why would Booker want to go into it alone? He wanted to die so badly that he was willing to be experimented on? That in itself made Joe's heart shatter, Nicky having to hold him at night sometimes when Joe found himself crying in bed. Joe had that guilt wrapped around him like wire, at times it was harder to breathe. Even after a good recon mission and they were safe, tucked away in a safe house, Joe still thought of Booker and where he was in the world. He wanted to find him and explain and although he was still angry with what happened to himself and Nicky, Booker was entirely in the wrong with the result. 

Andy reminded him of the deal they had with Booker. She too was feeling guilty for not seeing the signs of his depression earlier, even after he joined them as a new Immortal so long ago. But she didn't want to break that deal after how the meeting went in New Zealand. it was fragile and delicate, they all knew that. 

All they could do was wait and count down the days.

* * *

  
**100 Years**

Five pairs of steps were walking down concrete steps that lead to a wooden platform next to the river bank. The whole bank was redone over the years, modern technology with water being used as the main clean energy in about 90 percent of the world now lead to river banks being constantly managed and maintained. New buildings replaced ancient historical ones, there were hover cars at this point with a few exceptions, and the past battles and wars they fought in were now ancient history at this point. They could still remember it though as the rest of the world forgot. 

So instead of actually going into the riverbank, as they did 100 years prior, they were on a platform, alone and right on time. Andy was looking around, feeling a sense of uneasiness within her stomach as they were all looking around in hopes of seeing Booker somewhere. Maybe he was watching from afar, looking through a window to see if they really going to be there and welcome them back. Quynh was holding her hand gently as Nile looked at her smartwatch after a good 10 minutes of standing in a half-circle, almost looking a bit suspicious with passersby. 

"We're not late, are we?" Nile asked, seeming a bit nervous as the others were getting a bit restless too. Quynh was calm and quiet, sensing that Andy was feeling a bit of anxiety with all that was happening. Joe was downright petrified that Booker wasn't going to show, Nicky seemed calm but he too was uneasy. 

That was always the thought that went through their heads before they flew out to London together, was Booker even going to show? He said he would, he promised he would, but given how they handled their small meeting 50 years back, they wouldn't be surprised if he decided to abandon the reunion at the last minute. 

They didn't want to hunt him down and try to find him with a bit of force behind it, they won't forgive themselves if they did. They did that before and it resulted in Booker have a panic attack and kicked them all out. Although Quynh did tell them that Booker was doing great on his own, making being back with them was going to bring back old memories and old pains.

Andy wouldn't blame him for not showing up.

  
"He's not going to come," Joe said almost bitterly, Nicky clutching his hand in a death grip as Joe could feel that swelling emotion of regret rippling through him.

"Joe," Nicky said his name calmly as he pressed a kiss into Joe's curls, "He gave his word and he'll come. Think positive, my heart,"

Joe was still reeling within his head that the worse has happened as Nile found something underneath the floorboards, peering through the cracks and finding something that seemed off. Amongst the pebbles that were on the ground, a bright white envelope that nestled there, almost in plain sight. Nile looked a bit harder, kneeling as she was trying to get a closer look. 

An envelope in a clear plastic bag and It had Andy's real name on there in cursive.

"Nile?" Andy asked as Nile moved to the railing, slipping through and fell slightly onto the slipper pebbles, almost falling herself as she grabbed the wooden pillars. Once she got her foot, she crawled underneath the platform the others were on, now they were looking over the railing and in between the cracks to see what she was doing. After a few feet of slipping from the water drenched rocks, she finally grabbed the plastic bag and crawled back out. Nicky hoisted her back onto the platform, shoving the envelope to Andy. Andy looked at the envelope, her eyes going wide instantly as she was unwrapping the plastic and getting the clean white envelope inside.

"It's Booker's handwriting," She said with some worry in her voice, getting a single paper out and undoing it so fast she almost got a paper cut. Once it was unfolded, everyone else couldn't help but lean in a bit to see what was there on the paper. But there weren't any words, no long paragraphs or explanations.

"They're coordinates," Quynh gasped out, everyone looking at each other with more confusion. It took Nile a moment before she spoke up.

"He's telling us where to go,"

* * *

  
**2 Days Later**   
**Montana, USA**

**Booker's POV**

"There, this will hold us for the upcoming rain that'll come in a few days,"

"The roof looks better than ever. Good Job, Benji,"

Booker stood with his hands on his hips, watching the young man carefully climb down from the roof onto the ladder that was propped up the side. It was a beautiful day there on the farm as Booker could hear the distinctive sound of a car coming up their long driveway along the dirt path. Booker kept his eyes on the man who was going down step by step and finally landing on the ground. He grinned at Booker, placing his hands on his hips as he looked past Booker and nodded with his head.

"We got some company," Benji said to Booker, looking a bit concerned. Booker kept his eyes on the roof though, not turning around because he knew who was coming up his driveway. 

"I'll take care of it," Booker replied to Benji, who turned his eyes over to Booker, "Why don't you wash up inside and see if Wendy needs help with the animals out back in the pasture,"

"Sure thing," Benji said to Booker in a nod, looking past Booker one more time with a bit of hesitance as the car stopped at the end of the driveway. Booker walked over to him, still not looking behind himself to see the car but keeping his eyes on Benji. Booker could tell Benji had no idea what was going on and was still hesitant with whoever was on their property. Booker patted his arm.

"It's fine, Benji. Don't worry about it," Booker reassured him one more time. Benji smiled at him and walked away, going up the small porch steps and going into the front door. Booker took in a few big deep breaths and getting his mind ready for what was about to happen. The last time he was surprised and wasn't prepared, which then in return made the meeting sour and almost bitter to the touch. 

This time, he was prepared. 

The car doors opened and closed, Booker still facing his house and waiting for the proper moment to turn around. His own heart was beating a little bit faster, but there wasn't anything that was making Booker dread or be worried at all. He was planning on this moment for quite some time, especially in the past week or so. He drew up some paperwork within the last year and made sure it was all accounted for through a lawyer, things he knew were going to be vastly important in the last years of his life. Booker still had at least two more decades before he knew his time would be up, but he wanted to be ready in case.

"Excuse me, we're looking for someone who lives here,"

It was Joe who spoke first, having Booker smile slightly from hearing his voice again. He finally turned around slowly, facing the very people whom I haven't seen in about 50 years. Booker's face was warm, a smile on his lips as his hand stayed on his hips in a leisurely manner, looking from a distance at a group of people in front of a black SUV.

But now, instead of four of them, there were five. 

All of their faces were filled with shock and wonder from seeing Booker in front of them. Nicky's face was of pure shock like he was looking at a ghost. Nile's was pale, a small twinkle of disbelief on her face while Andy's face was both shocked and focused at the same time. Quynh, who was next to Andy and resting a hand on her shoulder, had a small lightened smile on her face as if she knew this whole time. Joe's face was the last to be seen and the most perplexed like he was doubting what he was seeing.

They were looking at Booker, who was now physically 70 years old.

His hair was nearly white, though it still had some salt and pepper look in there with a hint of the golden brown. His eyes have dimmed down, but the shade of brown was still evident from his youth. He was an active man for his age, and although he was a bit slower in his step and reflexes, he was better off than most. He shrunk a bit in his height and has some elasticity in his skin. But in the end, he almost looked the same.

He just aged with grace is all.

"Booker?" Andy said his name in a breath, almost in disbelief as she was looking at him up and down. Booker smiled at her as he could see in all their faces that were in shock, maybe denial, that they were seeing an older and aged Booker.

"Hello Andy," Booker greeted her, even his voice had aged as well. He still had his French accent, though now it was less and more American, the graveness he had in the past was soothing now and sharpened over with a smooth touch, like a sword against a wet stone. Booker walked over to the five of them, taking his time along the grass under his feet as he finally stood in front of them all.

"I take it you got my coordinates?" He asked, Nile nodded her head silently as her eyes were still wide. She fished out the paper from her pocket, holding it out in front of her. Booker grinned, looking at Nile with a hint of fondness as he leaned over to pull her into a hug. Nile took a moment before she finally hugged him back, a few tears were on her face as they embraced for a few long seconds. When he pulled away, Nile looked emotional as he stared at her.

"Its good to see you, kid," Booker said to her as she lightly chuckled and nodded her head.

"Y-yeah. Y-you too," She stuttered, almost chuckling a bit from how she was acting as Booker moved from her to both Joe and Nicky. They both were stunned from seeing Booker in front of them, Joe looking at Booker in suspense as Booker eyed him with a kindness on his face.

"Hello, brother," Booker said to him. Joe immediately had tears in his eyes, Booker pulled him into a hug as well as Nicky, Booker feeling some of Joe's tears on his flannel shirt as the three of them embraced for a few moments. Booker had no more bitterness or regret in his heart for both of them, just a hint of sadness and some joy from seeing them again.

Once he pulled away from the both of them, Booker intimately squeezed Joe's neck as he patted Nicky on the shoulder, staring at Joe with a serious stare, "All is well between us now, okay?"

"Yes," Joe replied in a whisper. Booker finally moved away from the boys and over to Quynh and Andy, seeing them both watch his interaction with the other three and how he looked lighter than ever. 

"You look good for an old man," Quynh said to Booker in a light tone, her smile still on her face as Booker had to chuckle while walking over to her and framing her gentle and agile face in his aged fingers and hands.

"You still kept an eye on me, I take it?" Booker asked.

"As I have said before plenty of times, I had my ways," Quynh replied in a soft tone, Booker needing to laugh as he leaned up to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. Quynh hummed as he pulled away and finally looked over at Andy, who as watching and had some silent tears going down her cheeks. Booker stretched out his hands for her to take, seeing her youthful hand in his frail one and seeing how she was trying not to crumble in front of him and the others.

"Hey, Book," She said in a shallow breath. Booker grinning.

"It's good to see you, Boss," He said to her, seeing her take in a deep breath and lock her blue eyes with his elderly orbs. She finally sighed and leaned in to hug him, almost in the same way that they hugged a century ago when he was being sent away. But now it was a reunion of sorts, Booker cradling her head against his and taking a moment with her that was a bit longer in comparison to the others. They all knew why, and they were respectful of it.

Once he pulled away and looked at the others, all were watching him, he felt a wave of peace coming through him and as light as the clouds.

"I'm glad you're all here," Booker said to the group of them, "You caught me an awkward time since I had to fix some things around the house before the rainy season starts. I wanted it to look good before you arrived,"

"You wanted us to come here?" Nicky asked as he briefly looked over at the house, "Not to our rendezvous spot?"

"Well, if I was going to try and fly back to London now at the age I'm at, my wife would kill me," Booker admitted, another wave of shocked on all five of their faces. Not so much with Quynh, though a small smirk was on her lips from the mention of Jade.

"Your wife?!" Nile asked in shock. Booker had to grin cheekily.

"Come inside and I'll tell you everything,"

* * *

  
Booker sat down with them in the living room, gave them all iced tea to drink as he told them all that happened since they last met half a century ago. There was a lot to cover, but Booker took his time in reciting the past 50 years. He told them of his last recon missions with Copley and saying goodbye to him, how he ended up in America and met Jade, and while he was talking about the small wedding at the courthouse two young adults came bustling in through the back door, all of their attention went over to the two.

One of them was Benji, and he was talking to a young woman who was a pinch shorter than him with long dark brown hair that was thick, tan skin, and bright honey eyes. Benji had the same skin tone, if not a pinch darker from being out in the sun for plenty of hours in the day. His hair was black, short, and slicked back in with a wide grin on his face and his eyes almost the same shade as Booker's eyes.

"Kids, come on in will you please?" Booker called over to them, seeing both of them walk over lightly from the opening of the kitchen into the living room. The five Immortals watched as Benji and the female walked over with small smiles on their faces, "I want to introduce you to some friends of mine. Remember my old job?"

"Yes, the private security job," Benji said in a nod.

"Well, the associates I worked with are long gone, but these are their relatives. This is Andy and her wife Quynh, Nile, Joe, and Joe's husband Nicky," Booker introduced each of them with a grin as both Benji and the woman shook their hands one by time. They were polite to the Immortals, and once all the handshakes were done, Booker pointed to the two with a proud smile,

"These are my children: my son Benji and my daughter Wendy,"

None of the Immortals could say a word, they were hit with a massive blow of news. Two of them actually, and they were full-grown and not children. Right after he said that, Andy was staring at the two young adults, seeing traces of Booker in both of them. As much as she wanted to be in disbelief that they couldn't be his children, it was evident in the eyes and the lightness in the hair. There was evidence that they were his offspring, which raised more questions in her head. After a solid moment, Nile was the one who finally spoke.

"It's nice to meet you," She said to the both of them, the others were giving them smiles and small nods. Benji and Wendy didn't mind it though as Wendy grinned at Nile

"You too," Wendy replied, "If my dad bores you, let us know. We know how to steer him from a boring story,"

"Thank you, darling," Booker said to her in a wink, "Your mom should be coming home soon, can you both get the dinner prepped for her and my five friends? If your mother gives me grief, then she can come to talk to me,"

"You got it, dad," Benji said in a nod, both Wendy and waved to the group one more time, "It was nice to meet you all,"

"You too," Andy finally said to them as they smiled and walked over towards the kitchen. There was a stunning moment of silence in the room as Booker looked back at the five of them. He could tell they instantly wanted to jump right in and interrogate him. But before they could, Booker spoke on his behalf.

"They are my children with my wife Jade," Booker reassured them all, "However, because my wife couldn't have children naturally and we both were a bit too old to have them together, we used the same surrogate for both Benji and Wendy. Benji came first, Wendy two years after him,"

"Just two?" Nile asked, sounding a bit sheepish as she asked. Even Booker blushed slightly as he shook his head.

"I tried for a third with her, but I can't argue with my wife. I love her too much, and two was enough," Booker admitted. All five of them smiled silently at him. Booker even looked up briefly at the fireplace at some of the pictures that were on the mantle, showing both of his children as babies and Booker holding them in pride. He was proud to call them his son and daughter, and he knew they were proud to call him their father. 

Andy finally spoke up to break some of the silence.

"When did you lose your Immortality, Book?" Andy asked, not in a harsh way but more curious, perhaps with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"About 27 years ago," Booker replied, "You would have made fun of me for it, though. I was slicing strawberries when I cut myself on my finger with a small knife. See?"

Booker held up his finger for all of them to see, showing them along his aging skin the distinct sliver of a scar, a white line from top to bottom. He knew the others have never seen that scar on him before, so it had to have been true that he got his mortality after all. 

"I didn't want to tell you to frighten you into coming too soon," Booker explained, pulling his finger back and folding his hands into his lap as the others were listening to him on waited breath, "After it happened, I did want to reach out for a moment. However, I also knew that I told you all to give me all of the 100 years. I wanted to be a man of my word and hold myself accountable,"

"But Booker," Joe finally spoke, his voice slightly wavering as he was sitting next to Nicky. Joe looked torn throughout the whole ordeal, Booker watching him fondly as Joe spoke, "We could have done something if you told us of your mortality."

"Joe," Booker said his name with sincerity in his tone that it almost broke Joe's heart hearing him say his name, "I know what I did, all that time ago, and how that choice has caused a rift between you and me. And I know that I am to blame for what happened because of my foolishness—"

"Not foolishness," Nicky corrected him quickly and sincerely, Booker looking over at the seafoam colored eyes that were looking at him with love and affection, "You were crying out for help, and we didn't hear you,"

"I did it in the worst way possible by placing both of your lives in the hands of that monster," Booker re-worded his explanation, "I wanted to have these 100 years alone to not only reevaluate myself, but how I viewed myself in general. I'll admit it to you all, I was messed up in my own head in how I could deal with Immortality, with never dying and being without the ones I loved. It made me realize that I had love with me all that time, from all of you."

"We still could have helped you," Andy tried again with Booker, "When you told us back in our house fifty years ago that we didn't see the signs, you were right. It wasn't part of this life for us to deal with something as serious as your mental health or mental health in general, we didn't know what to do about it but just let you handle it on your own. That wasn't the best choice we could have ever done with you, and for that, we're beyond sorry."

"I know you all are," Booker reassured her, "But being away from you all, I wouldn't take it back."

"You wouldn't?" Nile asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"I never would have ended up where I am today," Booker answered Nile, "I wouldn't have been the same Booker you're looking at right now if I took that offer and went back with you. It sounds terrible, but I would have been worse off, and I know the tension between all of us would have been too much. The first twenty years were hell, having me be suicidal at one point,"

"Booker," Nicky said his name in a pained voice and his face had sadness all over it.

"It wasn't my finest hour, Nicky," Booker said to him calmly, "I never did go through with it because I thought of my late wife and youngest son, Jean Pierre. They wouldn't have wanted me to grieve them, they would have wanted me to live. After that night, I swore to myself and to the souls of my late family that I would try. I went to counseling for my depression, got sober and stayed sober for about 35 years, and I found someone who loves the broken pieces of me that I never thought I would find again."

"So, you were glad you were exiled?" Nile asked, trying to understand it herself. Booker paused, trying to figure it out in his mind if that was true. Going through the paces of being alone, having his thoughts to deal and wrestle in daily, and learning to accept that what he did wrong, but it was also a wake-up call. 

"Yes," Booker replied in a short answer, leaving at that, "If I came back with you, then became mortal, I would have lost it all within myself. But this home," Booker gestured to the living room they were sitting in, "My wife and children," As if on cue, Benji and Wendy were laughing together in the kitchen and it made Booker smile, "And the new soul that I have in me would never have been there. I only needed to relearn a few things,"

"You're a wise man beyond any of our years," Quynh said to him in a breath, Booker looking over at him and she gave him a wink. Booker grinned, feeling a bit better that Quynh was were and was present throughout all of this silently and stealthily, but was still giving him support and comfort during this time. 

"As sad as it is that you lost your mortality without us," Andy started, Quynh placing a hand on her shoulder as a sense of comfort, "And as bad as I feel for putting you through exile alone….if you're happy….then we can be happy too,"

"Of course we can!" Nicky said immediately in agreement, his eyes pouring in Booker's and was showing determination, "Your happiness means a lot to us, and I can see you're happy here with your family,"

"You've needed a family all this time," Joe stated, a sad but small smile was on his lips as he said it, "I'm glad to see you have it,"

" _You_ all are my family," Booker reminded him, "I was just lost in seeing it."

It was set in stone, that tension that was always in the air and was always hovering Booker with him questioning if they would ever even consider forgiven him was somehow paid to rest. Joe even accepted his new life and knew where Booker was coming from, and he knew Booker meant well in a way. Even though it wasn't a full closer that Booker felt like he needed years ago, it was good enough now in his older year.

"Now," Booker said in a grin as he slowly got himself up from his chair with a bit of ease, "Why don't I show you around the place while we wait for Jade to come home and the kids get dinner ready,"

"Can we help with dinner?" Nile asked in a suggestion as the others were following Booker out towards the front door. Booker shrugged it off in a snort.

"You're guests in my home, Nile. I wouldn't do that to you," Booker replied, "Besides, I won a bet against the both of them and they lost, which means they prep dinner anytime they're home for the next month or so."

"What was the bet?" Andy asked with amusement in her tone.

"Who can hit the most bullseyes in two minutes in our pistols we have. I didn't miss once,"

* * *

Booker showed them the entire farm, in which the others were fascinated to see all that Booker did with his family. They had solar panels on both the barn and farmhouse, mini wind turbines along the back rows of the cherry trees, and a few water collecting tanks that helped them in the winter when it was too harsh to get hot water in their rural area. There was also a sunflower and lavender garden, three Bee Hive Homes were nestled amongst the flowers that stored organic honey that they also sold at farmers markets throughout the years. Booker even picked a few cherries for them from the cherry trees to try since they were just ripe, Nile couldn't help but chuckle at how she bit into a cherry and the juices sprayed everywhere.

"That means it's sweet and delicious, no?" Booker asked as he took a bite with no problem, spitting the pit into a barrel that was nearby the trees.

He then took them to the barn, all of the various animals were out and about as they were looking at the pigs, chickens, sheep, and goats. They would have their own milk and cheese from the goats, selling some of them for some profit and keeping the rest for themselves when they had to ration in the wintertime. He watched in the back with fondness as the others were interacting with the animals. Nile found herself looking at the pigs, seeing a few piglets rolling in the mud and snorting at her in glee. Joe was watching the horses with a glint in his eyes and leaning against the railing of the fence while Andy and Quynh were watching the sheep and goats in mild amusement. 

"What is it with you and cats?" Nicky asked as Booker caught him picking up one of the slightly bigger kittens that was gnawing at his shirt he was wearing. Booker had to smile from ear to ear as he walked over and watching Nicky look at the kitten with a smirk.

"I've always had at least one cat around me throughout my exile, they've brought nothing but peace to me, and it made me think of you," Booker explained, Nicky looking at him with a raised eyebrow as the cat was pestering him with its paw.

"How so?" Nicky asked, not understanding.

"You told us once that it was destiny for us to find each other," Booker quote him, "So I think, since I was away from you all, that cats were a destiny to me to feel…a bit better. Perhaps they were sent to keep me company while I was away from all of you,"

Nicky smiled, the cat clearly not getting attention and started nipping at his fingers as Booker chuckled to reach over and take the cat before the cat did any more damage to Nicky and his pale fingers. Nicky grinned from watching Booker looking at peace in this place, almost like a slice of heaven. 

"Dad!" Benji called from the back porch that leads to the kitchen, everyone including Booker looked over to see his head poking out from the screen door, "Mom's home!"

"Wonderful, come on guys," Booker said to the group as he started walking towards the house, the cat still tucked in his arm as the others following him, "You can meet Jade and we'll get ready for dinner."

  
Booker lead them over the grassy clearing between the farmhouse and the barn area to hear the chatter from his wife, son, and daughter inside. He was a little nervous to have his Immortal family to meet his wife, almost like he was seeking their approval in a way. But he was nearly an old man, which made that all morbid in his mind. Once they were close enough, Booker saw the screen door open and his wife came out with a grin on her face. 

Her hair was now silver and gray, almost like silk as It was in a long braid over her shoulder and almost down to her hip at this point. Her eyes were still just as gorgeous as they were when Booker met her for the first time, though she too lost some height in her stature and was skinny as a rail. She was wearing a flowing dress with a denim jacket that was embroidered in colors and the thunderbird symbol on the back. She was wearing turquoise earrings and her wedding ring as Booker released the cat onto the porch and walked up to greet her with a kiss.

"Hello my love," He hummed to her as she grinned at him, "The friends I told you about are here,"

"That's what I heard from the kids," Jade said in a grin as she looked past her husband and over to the five beings. They were looking at Jade and Booker, seeing how Jade was resting a hand on his chest and his arm was around her waist. He beamed as he was staring at Jade and was standing next to her, and the Immortals could tell he was in love and happy.

Especially Andy, whose smile was the biggest at the sight of the two of them.

"Welcome to the farm. I'm glad you are all here," Jade explained in her light tone, "My poor husband here hasn't been able to sit still knowing you were coming," Booker blushed slightly as he looked away for a brief moment and Jade pinched his side playfully, "Tonight we're having spaghetti and meatballs, and for dessert, we will have vanilla bean ice cream and drizzled organic honey on top,"

Booker had to chuckle from seeing the small moment of bliss on both Nile and Quynh's face when dessert was mentioned.

* * *

  
The dinner table was surrounded by people, but Booker loved seeing it as his two families were morphing together, almost into one major family.

There was constant chatter and conversation throughout the dinner session from start to finish. Benji and Wendy were asking plenty of questions to the Immortals, although they had no idea that they were Immortals at all. Andy explained that they had relatives who knew Booker when he was younger, which Booker's children brought. They found Andy, along with the others, to be interesting people. Both Benji and Wendy loved hearing that they travel around the world and help those in need. Booker was grateful that they weren't diving into the gritty details with his wife and two kids, and the Immortals too were wondering about his children as well.

Benji was a post-graduate student who studied agriculture to better help the farm and help it grow and thrive. He loved being on the farm, and although he did some traveling in his college years around the year with terms abroad, he still had his heart back in Montana. Booker felt a bit proud to leave the farm in his sons' hands whenever it was time to. 

Wendy was a registered nurse and was now going through medical school out in the Pacific Northwest. Although currently, she was only doing it part-time since she wanted to help around the farm like her brother. Wendy has always wanted to help people since she was a young girl, which Booker found to be admiral and great. She was thinking of going out to the West Coast when she was fully certified and had her hours turned in. 

  
After dinner was finished with polished plates and semi-full bellies, Jade brought out hand made vanilla ice cream and hand-scooped honey from their beehives to drizzle on top of the ice cream treat. It was Brooker's favorite dessert, along with Wendy's as they all sat out on the back porch to have their dessert together and watch the sunset go over the mountains. The air was getting cooler as the sky was getting darker, which resorted to most of the group to go back inside the house. 

It left Booker and Joe alone on the porch together.

"You have a good life here," Joe said to Booker as they sat side by side in the porch chairs, watching the sky turning from the tints of pink into tints of purple and then dark blue. The stars were slowly starting to come out as Joe was watching the never-ending sky, "I don't think I've ever seen so many stars like this since we were in Switzerland, back in the 1930s. Remember that?"

"I do," Booker hummed, "Those nights, although cold, were beautiful. You tried to show me every constellation that was out and I tried to remember for the life of me," Joe looked from the sky over to Booker, having a twinge of remorse on his face as Booker was still looking at the sky with a twinkle in his eyes. Booker looked peaceful and content, even for an old man and who had harbored past demons and past ghosts. Joe cleared his heart and faced Booker slightly.

"I'm sorry what I've done," Joe apologized. Booker looked over at him no with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" Booker asked, not understanding why Joe would be apologizing to him.

"I treated you so horribly," Joe explained, sounding like he was in pain while he was talking to Booker, "I never really got a chance to listen to you or to help you when you needed it. I was too angry and close-minded to what you needed,"

"You were angry with me," Booker reasoned, "And you were in the right to be,"

"Not to that extent," Joe countered, "I took it too far in my anger, pushing it onto you and it went too far. Especially at your home in New Zealand, the way I lashed out was nothing more than downright horrible—"

"Joe," Booker interrupted him, Joe going quiet as Booker gave him a kind stare. He finally reached over and grasp Joe's upper hand within his nimble fingers. Joe watched his every move, almost faired of what Booker was going to do.

"I forgive you," Booker said to him gently, his voice carrying in the wind as Joe watching him with such emotion Booker thought he would break down in tears, "I just hope you can forgive me,"

"Oh, Booker," Joe sighed, his voice breaking slightly and it felt like the weight of anger between the both of them rolled away within moments, "I've forgiven you so long ago that I was too headstrong to tell you before,"

Booker grinned at him as Joe gulped, "You were in the right, back in New Zealand. In my heart, I forgave you after hearing all that you went through and piecing it all together. But I was too stubborn to tell you and I thought it was the end of it,"

"You are bull-headed at times, Joe, but I still love you, my brother," Booker hummed in a joking tone, Joe grinning slightly as Booker searched his eyes.

"I would take it all back if I could, but to know that you and I are on good terms again, then I know I can die a happy man," Booker explained, Joe almost looking at him painfully as he also smiled.

"Don't joke like that, my brother," Joe semi-pleading to him, though there was a small lace of fear in Joe's tone. Maybe he thought in the back of his mind that Booker could pass away soon, though he was a young 70-year-old man and was in good health. Mortality was a tricky thing. Joe could only hope and pray that the last years of Booker's life were going to be filled with peace and happiness, he deserved it more than any of them. 

Joe also wished he would be there to see it.

"Joe?" 

Both Booker and Joe looked over to see Andy poking her head out from inside the house and the sounds of distant laughter could be heard in the living room.

"Yeah, boss?" Joe asked.

"It's time to head out."

* * *

  
Booker hugged each one of his Immortal family members as his wife and children watched from the front porch. He would miss them after having a great afternoon with them, feeling just as youthful as he did when he first left them 100 years ago. He had them all promise to come by for Christmas, which they all agreed with no hesitation. Book also was telling them they were welcome to come and say hello at any time, he knew his family woudn't mind one bit. Even though he could tell they were worried that this was their last meeting with him, Booker had a feeling it wasn't the case.

He hugged Nile tightly, telling her that he was glad she checked on him all these years. Once they pulled away, he framed her face in his hands and whispered to her, "You told me to try, my dear Nile. Thanks to you, I did try. So I owe you my life,"

He hugged Nicky fiercely, showing him in his embrace that he too felt horrible for what he has done to Nicky. Nicky hugged him back just as fiercely, showing Booker that he has long forgiven Booker and has prayed for him to find the peace that he always needed.

Booker hugged Joe gently, already showing him that forgiveness in their time together on the back porch and once again showing it in his embrace. Booker was always fond of Joe, and it broke his heart when he lost trust in Joe for that short amount of time. He was glad that he and Joe were back on good terms again

Booker hugged Quynh closely, feeling her smile against his head as they embraced each other freely in front of the others. Booker always knew that he had an angel looking over his shoulder this whole time, and it was Quynh. She was hidden in the shadows, watching him and making sure he would be fine on his own. Booker was grateful.

Lastly, he hugged Andy intimately. Andy showed him this Immortal life and tried to help him. She taught him how to be strong and how to fight, a person he could lean on when he felt alone and miserable. Booker held Andy close to his heart and knowing that she too was betrayed by him in all the fiasco with Merrick killed him on the inside out. He considered her a sister and loved her beyond measure.

"Don't be a stranger, Andy," Booker whispered to her as they finished their embrace. Andy pulled away and framed his face in her hands, staring at him with such assertiveness that it made Booker almost want to cry.

"I will never forget you, sweet Booker,"

* * *

  
Booker watched as the car drove down their dirt road, his two children next to him and his wife wrapped in his arms. This was different from the last time they left him 100 years before, back in the riverbank when he was down on his luck and guilt was harboring all over his body. He remembered that day so clearly, but now it dimmed a bit as he was etching a new memory into his brain. 

He was happy to see them go, for he knew that they would come back again.

**The End.**

* * *

That's it! Thank you SO much for the support the comments and the love throughout this story! I hope you loved it :)


	6. Author's Note

Hello!

Thank you again for reading this story! I wanted to point out two things:

1.) I'm really leaning towards writing an epilogue for this story, maybe a few years down the road when Booker's a bit older and he knew his time is coming (So sad but It'll be worth it)

2.) I want to write a Nicky and Joe story now, but with them possibly raising a baby? (gasp!) Let me know if it's a good idea or no. I'm totally down for it but I wanna see what you guys think.

Once again, I loved the support and comments for this story and I thank you! I'll write again a bit soon when I have a concrete idea down!


	7. A Booker Holiday Christmas Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAD to add a small snippet that included a 90-year-old spunky Booker and Christmas celebration! I hope you all enjoy :)

**20 Years Later**  
**Montana, USA**

Booker woke up on the morning of Christmas Eve with a small bit of heaviness on his heart. 

He first looked out the window, seeing the white snow slowly falling from the early morning sky and bringing in fresh snow at their farm. Winter came earlier than expected this year, much to the surprise of Booker and his family. They were prepared for harsh winters, however, this one didn't seem as bad. Who knows what January or February will bring since those two months are the harshest and more bitter in cold temperatures. December was less of a burden and more of a blessing.

Especially for Booker, since he knew he was going to die soon.

Booker at this time was 90 years old, which to some was entirely shocking. Booker was surprised himself, given his track record of drinking excessively as an Immortal for so many decades, if not a century or two. But to his surprise, he made it until his 90's which was a true milestone. He stayed healthy, God willing when he got sober and met Jade. Jade was also a huge help in keeping him healthy and making sure his mind was on the right track. In all honesty, Booker would be lost without Jade.

Utterly lost.

Booker felt movement at the foot of the bed, looking down where the massive quilt was still on top of him as he saw a cat curled up near his feet that were under the covers. The cat was fast asleep, a ginger cat with short hair and its tail wrapped around Booker's lump of a foot protectively. Booker chuckled, haring the cat purr as he moved his foot against the cat to wake it. The cat merely snuggled, staying asleep as Booker had to chuckle a bit more, looking over at the wheelchair that was perched by his side of the bed, ready for use. Booker sighed, not in the bad way fo cause but content since he was now using the wheelchair for most of his days.

His body wasn't as strong as it once was.

"Should we see if your Pop-Pop is awake?" Booker could hear on the other side of the closed door, a familiar voice that made Booker grin as he sat up a bit in the bed, trying to get his body ready for the upcoming energy that was going to come. The distant sound of bare feet outside his door was another sign too that he was going to have a full day ahead of him, but he was looking forward to it rather than dreading it.

The door opened slightly, and a small form of a child ran into the room in light speed over to Booker's side of the bed. All Booker could see within a moment as a flash of brown curly hair and small hands as a child was crawling up onto the bed with ease and speed. 

"Oh, Molly! Slow down, my love! Don't be rough with Pop Pop!"

His daughter Wendy came rushing into the room as Booker's 4-year-old granddaughter pulling herself up onto the bed with her arms. Booker chuckled loudly as he was face to face with his granddaughter, a pure vision of adventure, curiosity, and kindness rolled into one. Molly was his second granddaughter and youngest of five grandchildren. Those five grandchildren gave him new happiness that he thought he could ever receive. Booker loved all of his grandchildren beyond words. 

If he thought he experienced pure love when he had Benji and Wendy, that was nothing in comparison to what he felt when his grandchildren came into his life.

"Pop-Pop! Pop-Pop, are you awake?!" Molly asked in glee as she was now on his lap. Booker groaned slightly as Wendy reached over to rearrange her daughter on his lap carefully. Wendy was in her early 40's now, almost a mirror reflection of her mother, which made Booker lose his breath every once in a while when he looked at his grown daughter and would remember the night he met Jade for the first time. It almost felt the same since Wendy had her mother's framed face, kind smile, and angular cheeks. 

"Remember what we talked about, sweetheart," Wendy said to her daughter as Booker was watching Molly with a grin on his face, "We need to be gentle with Pop Pop now,"

"Sorry momma," Molly apologized to her mother, Booker chuckled. Molly had a great mixture of her mother and her father, a nice man named Travis whom she met as a nurse when she was working at a hospital out in Seattle, Washington. Molly had light brown hair, the shade Booker had when he was younger, that was thick and with some waves because of her father, freckles along her nose and olive-toned arms, and bright brown eyes. 

"It's quite alright, mon cher," Booker said to his daughter as he gave her a wink before he looked at Molly, "It's an important day today, isn't it?"

"We have to get ready for Santa, Pop-Pop!" Molly said in excitement, "But momma wants you to have your breakfast so you can help me decorate the tree with Anthony!'

"It sounds like you already have my morning planned, which is perfect!" Booker agreed, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead and hear her giggle, "Then there's no time to waste! Where is your brother anyhow?"

"He's helping Uncle Benji and cousin Simon make pancakes!" Molly informed him in her best professional manner. Booker looked over at Wendy, seeing her watch him with uneasiness on her face briefly. He knew she wanted to talk to him alone, out of earshot from her daughter. Booker could tell what she was wanting to discuss, making him look at Molly again.

"How about you go help them with the rest of the pancakes and make sure they stay out of trouble, won't you, chérie?" Booker asked her, seeing her nod her head as Wendy scooped her up and kissed her on the cheek.

"Please save at least four pancakes for your grandfather," Wendy said against her cheek as she tickled her daughter briefly. Molly squealed as she was placed on the floor.

"You got it, momma!" She said over her shoulder as she floated out of the room, Booker and Wendy watching for a moment or two before they locked eyes together. Booker sat up a bit, Wendy watching him as he cocked his head at her.

"How are you doing, dad?" Wendy asked, Booker taking in a good breath before he folded his hands on his lap.

"Better today, I have a bit more energy than I've had the past few days," Booker answered her thoughtfully, Wendy nodding her head slowly as she was holding her hands together in front of her. Booker could tell she was holding something bad, not out of anger but out of sadness, and he knew what it was. Holidays were always both joyous times, and also painful times. This time it was a mixture of both. Joyous, since he was going to spend the next two days with his children and grandchildren and having nothing but bliss with them.

But painful as well, given that Jade had passed away two years earlier to cancer, and Booker could feel this would be his last Holiday.

"Wendy," Booker said her name calmly and soothingly, the same way he would say her name when she was a little girl and needed affection. Wendy sniffled, hiding her tears from her ailing father as she looked back at him. He always saw her as his little girl, having so much energy and thirst for helping others around her. Even when she was older, married, and had her two children, she always gave her medical advice to her mother and father. 

In the last year of Jade's life, Wendy was more than willing to have her family move out of their home in San Francisco to be with Jade and be her live-in nurse. Jade refused, telling Wendy that she would be fine and content with Booker on the farm. Booker was with Jade as he gave her one last kiss, seeing her take once last breath in their bed as he already had the local hospital on speed dial when that moment came. 

"I miss her, dad," Wendy said in a small tone, trying not to blubber at Booker. Booker held out his hands for her to take, seeing her instantly grab a spare chair that was always used by either herself or Benji while Booker was bedridden a few times in the past, taking it over to sit next to him and lace their fingers together. Booker smiled at her, seeing the tears in her eyes forming as he nodded in agreement.

"I miss her too, more than anything. The holidays haven't been the same without her, we all know that. I'm just glad that you and Benji are here with the kids, that's all I ever needed in this life I've had," Booker reminded her, looking down at her fingers and seeing the beautiful wedding ring on her finger, and on the right hand was Jade's rose gold wedding ring that Jade gave her Wendy before she passed. 

"Dad," Wendy calmly said to him, "I know you never had a great life when you were younger, but…to me and Benji….you were the best dad we could have ever wanted," Booker grinned as her and patted her hand as she was wiping another tear, "Your grandkids love you so much, dad."

"And I love them all," Booker said in agreement with her, "I can't thank you and Benji enough for those five kids. And I know that you two, along with Travis and Audra, will be just fine,"

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Wendy tried to advise Booker, though he already made up his mind about the whole matter some time ago. He felt it in his bones when he would walk to and from the farm to the house, when he would lay down to sleep, and even when he sat down in his favorite chair by the fire to read the newspaper with his glasses perched on his nose. Booker was slowing down year after year, and although to some, it would be a devastating realization of what was to come. 

Booker couldn't help but welcome it.

"We both know what the doctor's told me in my last visit," Booker explained to her in his leveled tone, "I still have at least one more year before anything could happen. I want to be able to have this year be the best it can be," 

"And we can help with that, dad," Wendy explained to him, "Benji and I already talked it over with Travis and Audra, and maybe we can plan something out so that someone would be—"

"Darling," Booker cut her off gently, seeing her go quiet, "I would never want either you or Benji to give up your lives for me when we both know it'll be time soon enough,"

"But you did that for us," Wendy countered.

"I did because I'm your father," Booker reminded her, seeing him sigh and hang her head slightly. Booker leaned over to press an enduring kiss in her hair, keeping one hand in hers as the other hand was touching her arm soothingly.

"If it's my time within the next year, then I'll be content," Booker reminded her once more, "I've seen death plenty of times, so it's no new thing. This time I'll embrace it, knowing that you all will be safe and happy and that I lived the best life that I could."

Wendy smiled at Booker, seeing that he wasn't going to budge as Booker gave her once last kiss on the forehead before he patted her hand. They've had this talk before, a few times even before Jade passed away. Benji and Wendy always made sure that Jade and Booker were well taken care of, even with Wendy living in San Francisco with her Travis and their two kids. Benji was living at least 45 minutes away with Audra and their three kids, and although Benji's oldest child who was named after Booker, Sebastian, was nearly 18 years old and was about to get out to College out East, Benji knew their farm like the back fo his hand. Booker knew that Benji would take over and pass it on to his sons.

Their future was bright. It was all Booker yearned for with them.

"Now, let's go have breakfast before your daughter comes back up here again to fetch me," Booker said in a snort as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and Wendy took his hand. It took a good moment two before she helped him transfer over to the wheelchair, in which Booker tapped at the glass screen on one of the air rests. The wheelchair was activated within a second, hovering slightly over the ground as the wheels were folded and tucked into the chair. 

Wendy got him one on a major discount when he was getting slower in his walks and his energy was almost near gone, and since it was one of the newer models that mason the market, Booker was fiddling around with it before he knew it. The chair was a nifty little thing, perfect for Booker to go up and down the stairs at their house with no fuss since it was a hoverchair.

As always, technology was fascinating to Booker.

* * *

  
His Christmas with his family was nothing but bliss. It was a picture-perfect day.

There was fresh snow on the ground for all five of his grandkids to play on as Booker watched from his spot on the porch, wrapped in a blanket on his lap and looking like the stoic grandfather figure in any story. Booker did not mind it at all. Actually, He breathed it in that role that day. He had an exciting breakfast, hearing from Molly how she was starting to take art classes at school, Benji's son Sebastian was beyond excited to be finishing up high school and getting ready to head off to college. 

Booker was in awe of his eldest grandchild, since looking at him was almost like looking in the mirror. It was a bit surreal, even when the boy was a young man. But Booker experiences a lot of firsts being a grandfather thanks to Sebastian: taking him on his first road trip across the country, watching him in his little league games, and taking him out for pizza after whether he won or not. 

He had his other grandchildren right after: Emma, Aiden, Simon, and Molly. All five were small little traits of Booker, and Booker watched it all as they grew. Sebastian had his appearance of course, Emma had his smile, Aiden harbored his nose, Simon had his ears and Molly had his hair. Maybe it was a gift from whatever higher being there was that Booker would leave a piece of him on with these five loving souls, Booker thought of that as he watched them have a snowball fight with each other for an hour or two before he was brought inside. 

After that, they decorated the Christmas tree together while listening to old Christmas Carols. He enjoyed talking to Travis and Audra while the grandkids were decorating the rest of the tree, the perfect in-laws that he knew were beyond good enough for his Benji and Wendy. Travis was a Doctor, was a West Coast native that made Wendy one day on his rounds. Audra was an Accountant, working at a firm but met Benji when they were in college and stayed friends for a while before they finally got together. They both were kind souls, almost bewitching Booker in how they both made his children happy. 

Even at one moment on Christmas day, after all of the present was opened and they had Christmas breakfast together, Booker took a look at all of his family that was surrounding him and had an ever-present warmth in on his face and in his eyes. He barely ever remembered those darker times when he was alone, those moments of regret and lining for his life to end to come swiftly and quickly. Those moments dimmed and melted away when he got his act together. He would never dare to tell his children, let alone his wife when she was alive, all that he went through. Jade knew a small amount of it, but not the gritty details. He felt like she had no right to know.

But then, he remembered his other family. The Immortal family.

They stayed in touch with him as the years went by. They would come and visit discreetly, not wanting his wife or children to find out who they were on accident and then turn to ask Booker what was going on. They were careful, and Booker knew better than to have that secret slip. He enjoyed seeing them come and visit him once or twice a year. The first Christmas that they came to, right after they reunited with him, it was pure magic to see them look at the decorations he had packed all over the house. Jade, Benji, and Wendy were visiting Booker's in-laws on the Reservation for that night, Booker being a bit tired and letting them all go without them. 

* * *

  
_"It's a bit cold out here, isn't it?" Andy said in a huff as she wrapped her jacket around her shoulders a bit more, the five of them outside on the back as they were standing in the snow near the evening. Booker grinned as Nile looked blissful as she scooped her hand into the fresh snow, forming a snowball already in her hands. Booker watched her out of the corner of his eye as Quynh was pointing out the mountain ranges with her fingers, which left Nicky and Joe wide open._

_Nile threw the snowball right at Joe, hitting him in the shoulder._

_Nicky was roaring in laughter as Joe saw Nile chuckled and doubling over because of the dumbfounded look on his face. Joe grinned, getting his snowball ready as he fired back at Nile. Both of them engaging in a snowball fight, which to others would be simple and gentle._

_However, to the Immortals, it was war._

_"Cover me, Habibi!" Joe said in a warlike tone to Nicky as they both were gaining the upper hand on Nile. Nile wasn't giving up though, pelting them back with as much force. Andy, Quynh, and Booker were watching in amusement and cracked grins as the three of them were pelting each other out in the open, acting like children, and not having a care or worry in the world. Nicky was precise in every shot against Nile since he was the sniper, and Booker laughed as Nile got Nicky right in the nose._

_"I'll avenge you, my beloved!" Joe said to his husband as he went over to shove ice down Nile's back. Quynh finally jumped it, getting Joe twice back to back. Joe looked at her in shock as Quynh just shrugged._

_"It wasn't fair, I just leveled out the playing field," She replied as she dodged another ball thrown by Nicky just in the knick of time._

* * *

  
"Pop-Pop?"

Booker blinked, looking down at Molly who was sitting next to him on the couch, playing with her new toy. She was watching him in wonder and confusion at the same time, "Are you okay?"

"Absolutely, my dear," Booker replied.

* * *

**2 Days Later**

"You're looking good for 90, Book," 

"Why thank you, Boss. Don't let Quynh hear you say that," Booker and Andy were sitting together in the living room, the both of whom were catching up alone together as the others were fixing up drinks in the kitchen. It was a quiet night in the home, the rest of the family already left and went back to their homes with Booker promising them that they will get a call if something were to happen to him. He didn't want them to worry, and since he knew he was going to get a visit from his Immortal family a few days after they would leave, he wasn't going to dread on it. 

They came right on time in the morning, right when the house was nice and quiet. He kept some of the decorations up, just for the sake that he wanted to celebrate with them too, not just with his immediate family. They were good sports about it when they came and looked at the decorations, and although Andy and Quynh weren't real big fans of the whole ideology behind the holiday, the other three didn't mind it at all. They would share a meal, open presents, and enjoy each other's company as they used to so long ago. 

The present exchange was Nile's idea. She thought of that tradition when they made a pact to see Booker for their own Christmas, in which the others clearly did not understand. But Booker did, and he was grateful for Nile. Nile was heavily into Christmas since she was always enthusiastic about making things as "normal" for them as possible. 

In the end, all five of them were glad to visit Booker and have the whole day together. 

The rest of the Immortals were away and out of earshot as Booker was visiting with his old leader, who still looked young and better than ever.

"How were you all this year?" Booker asked as he leaned back in his wheelchair and watched Andy, "I saw some of the news throughout the year. It didn't seem too bad, not like two years ago."

"It wasn't, not at all," Andy hummed in agreement, "It feels like a good break in the routine that we're used to. The last job we had was out in Jerusalem, stopping a kidnapping attempt on a political official."

"It went well I presume?" Booker questioned.

"As well as it could get," Andy answered, "Nile took a scatter of bullets to the face, and Joe nearly lost a limb from a blowout," Andy paused, giving Booker a regretful stare as she was describing the scene for him, "Sorry Booker."

"I've heard and felt worse, Boss. You know that," Booker said with a shrug of his shoulders, "But I'm glad to hear that you all made it out okay." Booker paused, taking a long moment or so in lost thought. Before they all came that night, he knew he would have to talk to all of them about what was going to come whether they were ready for not. He already had papers laid out and planned for some time, but it was just exciting those plans that were making Booker both nervous and yet ready at the same time. 

"Book?" Andy asked, carefully placing her hand on Booker's frail arm, "What is it?" 

Book took an inhale, hearing the others walking onto the living room from the kitchen with glasses fo water and wine altogether. Both Andy and Booker looked up, the four Immortals that were walking into the room. They felt the tension in the room, all of them could as Booker was looking at each one of them fondly. All of their fences were looking a bit concerned and worried about how they were seeing Booker and Andy.

"You alright, Booker?" Nile asked, walking over to hand him a cold glass of water. Booker gave her a kind smile while the others were filing in and sitting on the couches and loveseat. He knew it was going to be now or never.

"I've been looking forward to seeing you all come this year," Booker explained to Nile, though he knew the others were listening to him as he kept going, "As much as I enjoyed this day with all of you, there is something that I had to bring up, to give to you all,"

Booker then reached over to the side of his wheelchair, a manila folder that was perfectly placed and hidden away from the other's view as he took it out gently. He handed it over to Andy, seeing her look at him with more concern as she took the folder. It was a bit thick, Andy noting that as she opened the top and peered inside. No one else said anything, watching with anticipation as Andy took out one singular document and looking it over.

"A house deed?" Andy asked, confused as she was looking at Booker. The others were watching him too as Booker sat up a bit in his chair.

"I'm giving each of you a deed to one of the safe houses that have been under my name," Booker explained, Andy looking back into the folder and taking out a few more documents to look them over, "I already got them squared away and they're perfectly legal."

Andy handed one of the documents to Nicky, Joe looked over his shoulder as Booker informed them some more, " Nicky and Joe are getting the deed to the safe house in Ireland,"

Andy had a document within her own hands as she showed Quynh silently with a hint fo worry on her face, "You both will get the safe house out in Peru,"

Lastly, Nile got a document from Andy. Booker watched as her eyes were blown big and wide with amazement and shock while Booker spoke, "And Nile's getting the cottage in New Zealand,"

"Your cottage?" Nile asked, sounding so small as she was looking it over two to three times, just to make sure she wasn't misreading something on the paper, "Booker…I can't take that house. You built that yourself, and besides…this seems too much…"

"All of this is too much," Nicky explained as he looked from his own document to Booker, "Although we appreciate this, Booker….we are a bit taken back that you're doing this,"

"It's because I know this had to happen sooner than later," Booker explained to Nicky, seeing him gulp and almost look a bit flushed as Booker went on, "I'm 90 years old. I felt as though it was time for me to get my affairs in order. To be honest, I have to realistic given my age and my health," 

"What are you saying?" Joe asked, looking a bit grave as Booker was finally seeing all five of them looking at him as if a spotlight was shining down right on top of him. In the past, he used to be afraid of being exposed like this in front of them, even before Quynh who seemed to be neutral all of the time. The last time it was really bad was back in New Zealand all those years ago, but the more recent one was a bit better when they had their reunion. So what was going to make this different?

"I'm dying," Booker explained. No one said a word or moved. It wasn't a sudden reaction, not like the confession to them that he was depressed when they came to visit halfway through his exile. That was a shocker for them, it almost threw them all for a loop. However, this time, in his elderly age and was very content with his new life, it was more languid in the news. 

Booker never wanted it to be like this when he would tell them, he wanted it to be as calm and neutral as possible. He was already on good terms with all fo them again, beyond good terms. He never wanted to resort back to that moment when they walked away from him and hated him. To them, it never phased their minds again, but not to Booker. Every once in a while, even at his old age, Booker was still haunted by it.

"You know this for certain?" Quynh has to ask, reaching down to take Andy's hand in hers. Booker nodded quietly as he was seeing the others drink in this news quietly. Joe and Nicky were clenching each other's hands so tightly, almost trying to convince each other that Booker wasn't in fact dying. Nile was about to break down in tears, her deed of the New Zealand Cottage was within her fingers and shaking from how she was trying to hold herself together.

"I went to the doctor's office the other day for a check-up," Booker explained, "Even with what he's saying about my health being where it is, there is still a slim chance of me making it to 95, and that would be very slim in itself. But I can feel it too, all in my bones. My body is not what it used to be, and perhaps all of those times that I died as an Immortal are coming back and making me weary, or as karma. Either way,"

"You seem very calm about this," Andy commented, sounding a bit neutral about it. But as Booker was looking at her face, he could tell she was trying not to get emotional in front of him. 

"I'm more content about my fate, much more now than I was before," Booker replied, then looking at each of them and almost seeing the same thing on all of their faces: sadness and a hint of remorse, "You all had to have known that my time was coming very soon,"

"We did," Joe reassured him calmly, his face was still just as sad as Nicky too looked torn up about the news, "It's still a lot to take in, Booker. We were foolish to think that it was still a good ways away,"

"Perhaps that was some time ago when we were back together," Nicky hummed in agreement, "But twenty years to us is nothing in comparison to you now,"

"None the less, we knew," Andy said to Nicky, then looked back at Booker as she took in a long sigh and perhaps a shutter, "We just didn't want to have to go through with it,"

"Although you have said in one moment in our past that time is a concept," Booker said, attempting to lighten the mood with a joke, "I'm more than content with what will lie ahead of me. I only wished to tell you now before you come again, later on, finding that I already passed without telling you. You deserve more than that,"

"So are you telling us that this might be the last time we'll ever…" Nile started to explain, but she stopped abruptly and applied a hand over her mouth. She slammed her eyes shut, trying to not cry in front of the whole group at this point as this was now hitting her hard. The reality of it was sinking in, first with Nile and then with the others too. Booker could read it on all of their faces and in how they sat in their spots. A part of them didn't want to believe it, that Booker was about to pass away

Nicky reached over to place a hand on her shoulder, and although he was sad about the news, he tried to consolidate her from his spot next to Joe and Nile on his other side. 

"I'm sorry, Nile," Booker said to her, feeling a bit sad himself that he was making her feel this way, "I knew that this was going to come sooner than later. And given my old track record when it came to making sour and bad decisions, I consider myself lucky,"

"Lucky how?" Andy asked, sounding only a hint bitterness heard in her voice. 

"That I die an old man with two families that love me," Booker answered her, seeing her slowly accept that fate for him. Booker looked at the rest of the group and had to give them all genuine looks.

"I know my life was never the best, not in the beginning. I know I burden you all with everything that I was going through," Booker started to explain to them, Joe gave him a look.

"We've discussed this before, Booker," Joe reminded him fondly, having Booker slightly chuckle. 

"That we have, but given the fact that I'm an old man and I'm now technically your elder, I'll say it again," Booker countered back, everyone in the room chuckling lightly as Booker felt a bit lighter from how this was going, "What I meant to say was that, I was sparred from having a less fortunate outcome of this life, I know each of you played a major part in that for me. If you would have asked me before if I believed in destiny, I would have laughed from the thought,"

Booker paused, looking over at Nicky when he mentioned destiny. Nicky already preached it, no matter where they were and what circumstances they were in, Nicky found a way to steer destiny in all of the choices that they made. Booker, being the realist that he was and being the alcoholic that he was in that moment in time, already rebuffed it and never gave in with that concept. However, things did change for him and within him to have him think otherwise. 

"But now I'm glad destiny had me go down this road, it was much better than the other road I knew would have there waiting for me if I would have made a different choice," Booker ended his speech, so to speak as he saw Nicky give him a sad but powerful smile. Booker grinned back at him before he looked to the others.

"You were all there for me from the moment I became an Immortal, through the bad and even worse times when I was unbearable. But also in the good moments, especially in my mortal life. You were always there for me when I knew I couldn't be with you, even coming when Jade…" Booker had to pause, taking a moment and trying not to cry in front of al of them from thinking about her. He gulped, feeling an agile and delicate hand slip onto his shoulder to have him look over at its owner. Quynh smiled, staying silent but her smile was more than enough to show Booker that she understood, silently telling him that she was there for him as his guardian angel. 

"You were there for her funeral," Booker kept going, having that inner strength in him because of Quynh's embrace, "Even now I know you are hiding and not in plain sight, I was grateful you were there to pay your respects. It was the last thing that I knew to be true about all five of you: you never left me when I thought I was alone."

"We never could," Nile said to him, no longer crying but still a bit wiped out, "We're meant to be together, always,"

Always. It was already set in stone so long ago when they have reunited again. Booker always felt like an outsider in their group, always on the outside looking in. He didn't know if it was because he felt curse for betraying the army he was sworn to fight in, in which alter led them to leave his first family behind with no way of saving them at all from the clutches of death. Booker had to wait and see that there was light that could com through int he darkness that he was hiding within for so long. 

It took time, but he found it in the end.

"There are more documents in there for all of you," Booker explained, seeing Andy look in the folder a bit more, "I had a few accounts that I'm turning over for you that have the gold I stored away and never touched all these years. They should have a good price on them if you're willing to use it."

"What about your children?" Nicky asked.

"I already liquidated my Swiss account for them both, along with the grandchildren. All the grandkids are going to be able to go through college multiple times if they wish to, and Benji will have more than enough to keep this farm and everything on it for the next 4 decades,"

"You know," Quynh finally spoke, her voice was voice and light as a feather as Booker looked over at her, "We can watch out for them and make sure that they'll be alright,"

"We're going to do that regardless," Andy said to Booker next to Quynh with a nod of her head, "Nothing against you Booker, but I happen to like your kids. And they're family to us thanks to you,"

Nile lightly snorted as Booker grinned from ear to ear.

"As much as I want to reassure you that they'll be just fine…..thank you," Booker said in a hum. He looked over to Quynh, seeing her give him a small smile as she was thinking of something. Booker couldn't help but watch her as she was sizing up the room with her eyes.

"I know what we can do to make this….perfect," Quynh explained, the other looking at her with raised eyebrows and pondering gazes.

"What?" Nile asked, seeing Quynh give her a chestier grin. 

* * *

  
15 minutes later and a bottle of wine already opened to share, there was a massive pile of blankets and pillows in the middle of the living room floor of Booker's farmhouse, looking so plush and tranquil as the 6 of them were all piled together on top of the blankets and pillows to gaze up at the ceiling to see the amber glow from the fireplace that was still roaring with warmth. They pushed the couch and chairs to the side and grabbed every single blanket and pillow in the house for their makeshift family pile. 

Booker, with the help of the others, was right in the middle and was having beyond bliss in his heart as the others huddled around him and they all talked on past missions and exotic places they've been to. He loved reliving some of those stories, especially since most of them were being told for the first time to Nile and she was hanging on every word.

"Remember that one time in the Caribbean when Booker pretended to be a pirate to commandeer the ship that had all that loot in?" Joe asked in a chuckle, Booker laughing from his spot as the others were agreeing with chuckles and Nile looking at him in a shocked look.

"You pretended to be a pirate?" Nile asked with an amused tone in his voice. Booker had to roll his eyes as the others were looking at Booker for the explanation.

"I think the term 'pretend' is using very loosely," Booker replied in a light snort as he saw Andy roll her eyes, "I was suaver in those days and I knew how to play the part. Nicky, God rest his soul, couldn't be a pirate if his life depended on it," 

"Hey!" Nicky retorted, though there was no ill-feeling behind it, "I could have!"

"You're far too pure to be a pirate," Andy joked with him, the others chuckling in laughter as more stories were being swapped around. Booker was quiet throughout all of it, laughing here and there when it was needed, but only wanted to listen. He liked hearing the stories that he almost forgot because of his elderly brain, but they were now vivid in his mind again. It felt so surreal, sprawled out on the floor under pillows and blankets and acting like a child all over again. But this was a safe place and a safe space, something Booker hasn't had with this group in such a long time.

It didn't matter that he was 90 years old and had mere years to live, he loved this.

The rest of the group fell asleep into the wee hours of the morning, but Booker was still awake for some reason. He watched all of them wrapped up in one another, fast asleep and in their safe bubble as the fire in the fire place was dying down by the minute. Booker had a warmth all over his body and in his bones in how he was seeing each one of his Immortal family members fast sleep with smiles on their faces and contentless in their bodies.

Nicky and Joe were on his right side, both of them wrapped in each other in their usual position. Nicky was facing Booker, his face relaxed and calm as Joe was pressed up behind him and his arms around Nicky. But one hand was reached out to Booker over Nicky's body, almost as if he was afraid Booker was going to float away.

On Booker's other side were Andy and Quynh. They also were wrapped up in each other's arms and looking beyond peaceful and calm. Booker admired how Andy looked so relaxed and safe with Quynh, knowing that she missed her all of those years when Quynh was drowning over and over again. Her arms were around Quynh protectively, also afraid that Quynh would slip away as Quynh was sleeping in peace.

Lastly, next to Booker above his head, was Nile. She was curled towards Booker with her head aiming towards him, one hand tucked under her head and the other resting against her side. Nile also was sleeping soundly, the look of peace was on her face as she was dead asleep, probably having a comfortable dream herself as a blanket was draped over her shoulders.

Booker finally leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, feeling himself start to drift off to sleep. His heart was now at rest, feeling that all he went through that plagued him were no longer there. The depression that butted heads with him, bringing him down to his knees at a certain point, it was no longer evident. All Booker had now in his heart was pure love and feeling adored. He was thankful or the family he had now, knowing that they would grow and continue one with their lives.

But he was beyond grateful for the Immortal family that was always there for him. And Booker smiled while he closed his eyes, dreaming of times on the open sea.


End file.
